


Mikan Skies

by narutoniue



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Teen Romance, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 18:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 68,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17330432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narutoniue/pseuds/narutoniue
Summary: AU. What if Moon, Sun, Hau, Lillie and Gladion were just everyday middle school students? What type of lives would they lead and what experiences would they have? Based on the characters from the games Pokemon Sun and Moon.Originally posted on Wattpad, now moving here.





	1. New Girl

Moon took a deep breath. She had recently moved to Alola and would be starting her first day at Hau'oli City Junior High School. Sporting her school uniform which consisted of a light blue button down shirt, red striped tie, grey pleated skirt and matching grey blazer, she adjusted her book bag hanging on her shoulders before entering the front door. The school was impressive, with early 1900s European style architecture that reminded her of the pictures she had seen of Lumiose City in Kalos. The halls were crowded with other students, and there was the general morning chatter and buzz as students went to their lockers to organize their belongings. Moon located the school office and headed inside.

The secretary sat at a desk not to far from the entrance. She had poofy purple hair and green eyes, and sported pink glasses that reminded Moon of the 60s. Seeing Moon, she smiled. Moon noticed a metal nameplate engraved with "Wicke" on her desk.

"May I help you?" Wicke asked.

"Um, yes. My name is Moon, and this is my first day. I was told to stop in the school office to get my schedule." Moon replied shyly.

"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you, Moon. Here it is." Wicke grabbed a sheet of paper from a pile on the side. "Your homeroom is two zero one. It is on the second floor. Go up the stairs and take a right. Your locker is four hundred eighty-five. It should be not too far from your homeroom."

"Thank you!" Moon took the sheet of paper and headed out. She found the stairs that were in the exact center of the school and walked up to the second floor. After locating her locker and testing the combination, Moon organized her notebooks and then headed to room 201. She entered to find the room mostly full of students. Most were in engaged in conversations. The exception was a pretty girl with long blonde hair and green eyes staring out the window her desk was next to. Moon found an empty desk in the middle back of the room and placed her bookbag on top.

"Hi!" Moon turned around to find a medium skinned, dark haired boy smiling at her. "You're new, right? I'm Hau!"

Moon couldn't help but feel at ease upon seeing Hau's friendly expression. "I'm Moon."

"Moon, huh? That's a nice name!" Hau grinned widely, placing his hands behind his head. "Are you new to Hau'oli City?"

"Yes. Actually, I'm new to Alola as well. I moved from Kanto."

"Oh, wow! That's pretty far away. Where in Kanto did you live?" Hau asked.

"A small town called Pallet Town."

"Cool! I live in Iki Town. It's just outside of Hau'oli City and also pretty small, but this school is much better so I go here. Do you live in the city?" Hau asked.

"I live in the Hau'oli Outskirts. Mom wanted a quiet place by the ocean." Moon explained.

Hau nodded. "Yeah, Hau'oli City is pretty busy and loud so I can understand why some people would rather live outside the city. I'm happy to help you out if you need anything. Better yet, why don't we become friends?"

Moon couldn't help but giggle a bit. She liked this Hau. He was so nice and open. "Sure! Thank you!"

The teacher then walked in. "Okay, everyone to their seats." The students scattered to their desks. "I'm happy to announce we have a new student join us today who moved all the way from Kanto. Please welcome Moon."

Everyone looked at Moon. She felt herself blush at the attention. She waved awkwardly. "Hi."

"I'm Mr. Ilima, Moon. I also teach English and literature. Please let me know if you need anything. I'm sure it will take a few days to get adjusted."

Moon nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Ilima."

After the morning announcements on the PA system, the first bell rang.

"We don't have the same first period together, but we do have the same lunch period. I'll be sure to look for you!" Hau grinned before running off.

Moon looked at her schedule. She had math first period. She located room 101, and found a desk to sit at. A few students noticed her arrival. A boy with dark shaggy hair and blue eyes was looking at her curiously. Moon smiled back uncertainly.

After class, the dark haired boy approached her. "Hi, I'm Sun. I'm guessing you're a new student."

"Yep. I'm Moon." Moon introduced herself.

"Moon, huh?" Sun smiled. "Like day and night, huh? Our names that is. I don't think I ever met someone in person with grey eyes. They're really pretty."

Moon blushed. "Thank you."

"What class do you have next?" Sun asked as they walked down out of the classroom and into the hallway.

Moon glanced at her schedule. "Um, history."

"Cool! Me too. Room 204?" Sun looked pleased.

"Yep!" Moon confirmed on her schedule.

As they walked up the stairs, Sun asked, "What period do you have lunch?"

"Fifth," Moon replied. "You?"

"Hey, same! You should sit at my table!"

"Oh, do you know Hau? I met him in homeroom. I agreed to sit with him at lunch."

Sun grinned. "Hau's one of my best friends. He's great, isn't he?"

Moon was relieved the two were friends, and she wouldn't have to choose between them. "Yes, he was really friendly and helpful."

As they reached room 204, Sun motioned for Moon to sit in front of him. "Hau's the friendliest kid in this school. I've known him since we were in preschool. Oh, Mayor Hala is his grandfather, by the way."

The warning bell rang and Moon turned to face the front of the room.

The rest of the morning flew by. Soon, it was lunchtime. Moon headed to the cafeteria and located Hau, who was waiting at the entrance. "Moon, how was your morning?"

"Good!" Moon answered. "Oh, I met Sun. We have math and history together."

"Nice!" Hau grinned as he led Moon through the cafeteria. "Sun and I are great buds." They reached a table. "Here we are."

Soon, other students sat around the table, including Sun. Moon sat in between Sun and Hau. At one point, she glanced around, and saw the blonde girl from her classroom sitting at a table by herself.

"Hey, Hau? Who's that blonde girl that's also in our homeroom?" Moon asked.

"Oh, that's Lillie. She pretty new. She started here a couple of months ago." Hau frowned a bit. "I introduced myself and suggested we be friends, but she tends to keep to herself. I don't really see her interacting with anyone. I'm not sure if she is just super shy or standoffish"

"We nicknamed her the ice beauty." Another kid piped up. "She kinda gives an impression that she's better than us. I mean, well, she is pretty, but just in how she keeps a distance from everyone."

"And Hau has the biggest crush on her!" Another kid grinned.

Hau turned beet red. "Shut up!" He pretended to mock strangle the kid. Everyone laughed.

"Hmm." Moon looked curiously at Lillie before being distracted by Sun.

"I think Moon is pretty too." He smiled at her, a slight pink tint showing on his cheeks.

Moon blushed. Hau looked curiously at his best friend and his newest friend. He took a bite of his malasada looking thoughtful.

"Oh, do we have access to the roof here?" Moon asked.

Hau looked surprised. "The roof?" He asked after swallowing. "I mean, I guess, but why?"

"I was thinking it would be a cool place to take some pictures from, given the school is four stories." Moon explained.

"Oh, are you into photography?" Sun asked.

Moon nodded. "I have an Instagram account I post my photography to."

"Oh, talking about Instagram...what's your cell so we can text? I couldn't ask you earlier since the school is pretty strict about no cell phones out during classes." Sun asked.

"Hey, me too!" Hau whined.

Moon laughed and exchanged numbers with her two new friends.

The rest of the day went smoothly. Moon liked all of her teachers. Her art teacher, Ms. Mina, was quirky, which Moon liked for an art instructor. After the final bell rang, Moon headed to her locker and packed her bag. She then headed to the fourth floor and located the stairs to the roof. She headed to the edge where there was a short barrier up along the ledge to get a better view. She could see most of Hau'oli City, including the coastline. People walked below. The ocean sparkled a bright blue color, and the sky was pure blue without a cloud in sight. Umbrellas peppered the beach, and there were swimmers in the ocean not far from the shore. A gentle breeze that smelled like salt water ruffled Moon's dark chin length hair gently. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again.

"This is great!" Moon exclaimed out loud.

"Would you be quiet? I was sleeping." A bored voice spoke. Moon turned around to see a blonde haired boy with a choppy hair cut covering one half of his face lying along a wall. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top and his tie was loose around his neck. He had black leather studded bracelets around his right wrist and his left ear had multiple piercings. He was inspecting her warily with piercing light green eyes. "You're too loud."

Moon gulped. By the looks of it, this boy likely fell into the category of "trouble kids" as her mom put it. "I-I'm sorry. I was just interested in the view. I didn't know anyone else was here."

The boy stretched and sat up. "Well, I sleep up here regularly, so now you know."

Moon pursed her lips. Something about this boy was rubbing her the wrong way. "It's not like you own this roof. It's school property, so I can come up here if I please." She was feeling defiant.

"I know that." The boy snapped, glaring at her. "Why did you want to see the view anyway?"

"To see if it was good for photography," Moon said quietly, cowering a bit under the boy's scrutinizing look.

The boy's cell buzzed. He glanced at it and sighed. Standing up, he said, without looking at Moon, "As long as you do it quietly, I don't care." He walked towards the roof exit.

"Thank you!" Moon called after him, smiling. He glanced back at her briefly before heading indoors.

Moon took one last look at the beach and ocean. She was worried she would have trouble with that boy, but he wasn't as bad as she thought. Moon headed indoors herself and downstairs to the first floor. She saw she had texts from Sun and Hau.

We should do something this weekend! Hau and I can show you the cool places in Hau'oli City. Sun had texted her.

Moon smiled at the text.

Absolutely! She replied. She then read Hau's text.

Hey, how was the roof?

Moon texted back.

It was amazing. Everything I was hoping for. But there was this weird boy on the roof, kinda mean.

Hau almost immediately texted back.

He didn't hurt you, did he??

Moon replied back. No, just kinda glared at me. Maybe verbally picked on me a bit. Who is he?

That's Gladion. He's a year older than us, in eighth grade, but he hangs out with this high school gang who calls themselves Team Skull. They cause trouble in Alola. Though I guess Gladion hasn't caused trouble himself yet. But he skips classes a lot. He's scary.

Moon thought back to Gladion. Well, I'll be careful to avoid him. She replied.

Moon headed home on the bus that went to the stop at the Hau'oli Outskirts.

"Hi, Moon. How was your day?" Moon's mom was preparing dinner.

"Interesting. I made some friends, Sun and Hau. There's also this really pretty girl named Lillie, but she's kinda a loner, I think." Moon decided to leave her encounter with Gladion out.

Mom nodded. "Good, I'm glad to hear you are making friends."

Moon went back to her bedroom to drop off her bag and change into a pair of shorts and a plain v-neck tee. She worked on her homework until Mom told her dinner was ready. The two ate together, and Moon helped wash the dishes. She went back to her room to finish the bit of homework she had left. Once that was done, she glanced at her cell. Seven o'clock. Too early for bed. Moon mused. She exited her room, and found her mom watching TV in the living room.

"Mom, do you mind if I take a walk?" Moon asked.

Mom nodded in approval. "Go ahead, honey. Just take your cell phone with you."

"I will." Moon rushed back to her room to grab her cell phone and put on her sandals before heading out. The sun had just set, and dusk was settling in. She walked along the sidewalk, admiring the flowers and greenery. Even with the darkening sky, the colors of everything were so much more vibrant here than in Kanto. As she headed along a path than led to Iki Town, Moon spotted Lillie sitting by herself on a bench.

"Hi! I recognize you from homeroom. I'm Moon," Moon introduced herself.

Lillie seemed to take a moment to judge Moon before deciding whether to respond or not. She then smiled shyly. "I'm Lillie."

Moon motioned to the empty space next to Lillie on the bench. "Do you mind if I join you for a moment?"

Lillie shook her head. "Go ahead."

Moon sat down. "Have you lived long in Alola?" Moon asked.

Lillie nodded. "I was born and raised here. But I lived on a different island until recently."

"I see." That made sense. Moon wondered how much the islands differed. Lillie reminded her of some of the popular idols that came from the Kalos region with her lighter hair and eyes. Even her clothes seemed high end. Maybe her parents moved from that area at some point? Moon mused.

"So you're from Kanto?" Lillie asked. "What is Kanto like?"

"Hmm," Moon looked thoughtful. "It is a mix of bigger cities and smaller towns. There's a large mountain range to the west that separates Kanto from Johto, and there is an watery area to the south. It's pretty populated, and more modern than Johto is. It can get cool in the winter, but not so cold that we get snow."

Lillie nodded, looking interested. "I haven't traveled ever out of Alola, so I love hearing about other areas of the world."

"I think you'll like it," Moon nodded. "I want to be able to travel to Kalos and Unova some day. Both are super big countries and contain pretty unique architecture. Both would be great to sightsee."

"Hey, Moon?" Lillie began.

"Hmm?" Moon waited.

"Do you pick out your own clothes?"

"Huh?" Moon was surprised by the odd question. "I guess so? I mean, my mom won't let be buy anything that could be to risque, but otherwise, yeah."

"Hmm." Lillie looked lost in thought.

Moon glanced at Lillie. Maybe she had one of those helicopter parents, Moon thought. There were a few kids she knew back at her old school that dealt with those. The parents dictated everything they did, from what after school activities they participated in to what clothes they wear. That would make sense then as to why Lillie keeps to herself.

Moon's phone buzzed. It was a text from Sun with a link. This is the place Hau and I usually like to go to for lunch. It has lots of options. Hope it looks good to you.

Moon quickly texted back. I'm not picky. I'm sure it will be fine.

Moon noticed Lillie watching her. "It's good you have made friends already."

"Um, thanks," Moon replied. "What about you?" She couldn't help but ask, remembering Lillie by herself during homeroom and lunch.

Lillie shook her head and stood up. "It's getting late. I should head home."

"Um, okay, I guess I will too. Nice talking to you." Moon said.

Lillie smiled politely before walking off.

Strange girl, Moon couldn't help but think to herself. As she walked home, she was blocked by two teenagers dressed head to toe in black. There was a skull logo on their tanks."

"Give us your money." One said.

That must be Team Skull. Moon just walked around them, ignoring them.

"Hey," One reached out for her arm, stopping her. "Are you deaf or something?"

Moon glared at him and shrugged his hand off. "I don't have any money on me."

"Then give us your cell phone." The other said, pulling out a small knife.

"Hey!" A familiar voice yelled. Moon looked to see Gladion walking toward them. He was dressed in black ripped pants, a black hoodie that had some rips in the arms, and red sneakers. "Are you two stupid? How much money do you think a kid has on them? Not worth your time."

"Oh, it's Gladion." One smirked. "Not a true Team Skull member. Guzma only let you join because he likes you for some reason."

Gladion glared at them. "Back off. Attacking kids is low."

The one Team Skull member glared at him. "Whatever. It's not worth arguing with you." He turned to his comrade. "C'mon, let's go find some other targets." His comrade nodded and the two headed off.

Gladion sighed and started to walk off.

"Thanks!" Moon called after him. Moon could swear his ears turned pink, but in the dark it was hard to tell for certain. A small smile played on her lips. She watched his retreating figure for a few seconds before turning around and heading home.


	2. Weekend Fun

Moon watched the clock in her classroom impatiently. One more minute til the bell rang, and it was the weekend. She had plans to head to the roof to take some pictures after school was over and then tomorrow, she, Hau and Sun were going to hang out in Hau'oli City.

_3...2...1...Brrrrrrriiiing!_

_Finally!_ Moon thought to herself. She rushed to her locker to pack up the books she needed and grabbed her tripod and camera bag containing her DSLR and lenses. She nearly ran up the stairs. She slammed open the door, and then stopped, remembering Gladion's compromise of being quiet. Moon looked around nervously, but didn't see Gladion around. _He probably just skipped school today, knowing him._ She concluded.

She headed to the side that faced Hau'oli Beach and the ocean, and set down her belongings. She first set up the tripod and then attached the camera to it. She then pulled out her high zoom lens and attached it to the camera. She peeked through her zoom finder to adjust the zoom of the test picture and then took a few, adjusting the aperture, shutter speed and ISO to find the right setting for her pictures. Moon focused on different areas and zoom levels of the beach and ocean. She flipped through the pictures she took, satisfied by multiple. She stretched and climbed onto the ledge of the roof. The wind blew, ruffling her skirt and hair. She felt like she was flying and smiled.

Suddenly, Moon found herself falling backwards and someone's arms wrapping around her as they caught her. Moon glanced up over her shoulder to see it was Gladion.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" He demanded. "It's dangerous to be standing on the ledge like that."

Moon blinked in surprise. Did Gladion pull her down? "I just wanted to feel like I was flying." Moon pouted.

"Yeah, and if you fell, you would have been flying alright." Gladion muttered.

Moon then realized Gladion still had his arms wrapped around her. "Um...?" She blushed a bit and looked down at his hands at her waist.

Gladion realized what Moon was referring to and quickly released her. "Just don't do anything stupid like that again." He looked away with a frown on his face and slightly tinted cheeks.

"I won't." Moon promised. She then cocked her head. "I didn't think you were up here."

"It's not like I always sleep in the same spot." Gladion muttered, still avoiding Moon's gaze.

"I see." Moon laughed a bit, and turned back to her camera to dissemble everything.

Gladion watched Moon. "You are pretty serious about photography," he stated, eyeing her equipment.

Moon paused for a moment and looked thoughtful. "I guess?" She then looked at Gladion suspiciously. "Why, are you planning on stealing it?"

He glared at her. "No."

"Okay, okay," Moon held up her hands in mock surrender. She put her camera and lenses into her camera bag and closed up her tripod. She picked up her bags, expecting Gladion to be gone, but he was still there, just standing. "Well, see you." Moon half waved and headed to the roof exit.

\-----

The next morning, Moon got up and ate some breakfast. She then got ready for her outing with Hau and Sun. It was going to be comfortable today, high in the mid-seventies, so Moon opted for a below the knees blue ruffled skirt, a three quarters length sleeve white and blue striped top, and black Converse sneakers. She also grabbed a white wide brimmed hat, since she wasn't usually in a ton of direct sun during the winter months, and she knew she would easily get burned on her face otherwise. She let her mom know she was heading out, and headed to the bus stop to catch the direct line to Hau'oli City Shopping District.

After arriving, Moon doubled checked the location Sun had sent her to meet them at. Moon read to herself the signs on the shops, and soon saw Hau and Sun standing outside. She waved to them, and they waved back.

"Hey!" Hau greeted her.

"Hi guys!" Moon greeted them back.

Sun blushed. "You look nice today, Moon."

Moon smiled at Sun. "Thank you!"

"So, first on the agenda!" Hau announced, standing tall. "Is...drumroll, please..."

Sun did a drumroll by tapping his fingers on his thighs.

"Malasadas!"

"Malasadas?" Moon asked.

"Hmm." Hau nodded seriously, crossing his arms. "Malasadas are a specialty of Alola. They are yeast-leavened donuts that are deep fried and rolled in sugar, and are filled with different flavorings."

"And Hau eats them all the time. You think he'd be three hundred pounds by now." Sun interrupted.

Hau frowned at Sun. "Haha. Anyway, they come in five different flavors, and are a must as an Alolan. So off to the malasada restaurant."

The three headed to the restaurant, which was across the next door to where Moon met up with the two boys. Moon looked at the choices. "Hmm, I can't decide between the sour and dry malasada. What do you recommend?"

"Sun usually gets a dry malasada to match his humor -" Hau began.

"Haha, funny," Sun rolled his eyes.

"- while I get sweet. So why don't you get a sour and you can also try each of ours?" Hau finished.

"Sounds like a plan!" Moon agreed. They went to sit down at a table, and while they waited for a waitress to bring their malasadas out, Sun and Hau peppered Moon with questions about Kanto.

"What was Pallet Town like?" Hau asked.

"Hmm, it's a small town. There's a major research laboratory that provides most of the jobs for people that live in town. My mom was a research assistant for Dr. Oak." Moon replied.

"Ah, so she works for Dr. Kukui now?" Sun asked.

Moon nodded. "Dr. Kukui is actually my mom's cousin in some shape or form."

"That's cool." Hau nodded.

The waitress brought out their malasadas. Sun unrolled his napkin to retrieve his fork and knife, and first cut a piece for Moon. "Hau, do you want a piece as well?" Sun asked.

Hau made a face. "You know me and dry malasadas. Never, nope, will not do."

Moon laughed. Hau was quite the character.

Sun placed the piece of dry malasada on Moon's plate and Hau did the same with his sweet malasada. "Do you want a piece of mine?" Moon asked.

Hau and Sun both shook their heads no. "Consider it a treat as a newcomer to Alola." Sun explained.

The three ate their food. "It's good." Moon commented. "Different, but good." After they finished, they headed out.

"Next up," Sun began. "Is the beach. Obviously, we aren't going to spend long, but I thought you would like to see it."

Moon nodded. "We didn't really have beaches in Kanto, though there were a few shore areas by caves. But not what one would define as a classic beach."

The three crossed the street and headed down the wooden stairs onto the sandy beach. It was crowded, and mixed with young people and families. Children were building sand castles and playing along the shoreline. Teenagers were sprawled on towels and chairs, working on their tans. Some older adults were sitting and reading books. It was an exciting but friendly atmosphere.

"Can I look for a seashell?" Moon asked.

"Sure!" Hau grinned. "We'll help. Any color or shape in particular?"

Moon shook her head. "Just hoping to find a decently sized nice looking one."

"Ok, the mission starts! Goal? Find Moon a top of the line seashell!" Hau saluted her before running off.

Sun headed toward the middle of the length of the beach and Moon stock toward the closest end of the beach relative to where they entered. Moon removed her sneakers so she could step in areas where the tide reached. The cool salt water felt good as it soaked her feet. Above, seagulls were squawking. She crouched down to look for shells. A lot of small scallop shells. Some were broken. Moon found a lavender one that was intact and a bit bigger than the others.

"Ooh, a purple shell!" A little girl was watching Moon. She was in her bathing suit and her hair was up in high pigtails.

Moon smiled at her. "Is purple your favorite color?"

"Yes!" The girl said a bit loudly.

"Then why don't you have this shell?" Moon got closer to the little girl and put her hand up as if she was sharing a secret. "Purple isn't my favorite color anyway."

The girl grinned. "Thank you!" She turned around and ran off. "Mommy! Look what I got!"

Moon stood up and glanced around. She could see Hau from the far distance heading back. Sun still looked like he was searching. Moon stretched her arms and faced the ocean. She would definitely come back soon with a bathing suit and go swimming.

"That was nice of you." A voice said.

Moon turned to her left to see Gladion standing about five feet away. He still had all black clothes on, and Moon mentally sweated at the thought of how warm wearing those had to be.

She shrugged. "Thanks? It's wasn't that great of a shell and purple isn't my color anyway."

Gladion walked closer so he was only a couple feet away. "So what is your color?"

Moon hated that question because she always inadvertently blushed when asked that. Her favorite color was red due to her crush on Kanto's famous athlete, Red. She knew it was a silly reason to like the color red, and everyone always asked why she liked red. Moon noticed Gladion was wearing the same red sneakers he wore yesterday, and panicked, not wanting Gladion to think the reason for liking red was due to him. "Blue," she lied.

Gladion turned to look at the ocean. "Well, you certainly get to see a lot of blue here."

Moon nodded wordlessly, feeling a bit guilty. It was really an innocent question, and she doubted Gladion actually cared what her favorite color was.

Moon looked at him. "Are you just hanging out here today?"

Gladion's face tensed and he frowned. "None of your business."

"Oh." Moon looked down. She felt a mixture of hurt and anger and considered using the same phrase the next time Gladion asked _her_ a question. She felt tears start to form in her eyes. Darn! Moon had a bad habit of crying when she was angry.

"Moon!" She turned to her left to see Sun running towards her. Moon quickly wiped the tears that were in the corners of her eyes.

"What's up?" Moon asked.

Sun didn't miss the moisture still pooled in Moon's eyes. He glared at Gladion. "What did you do to her?"

Gladion stared back. "What are you talking about?"

Moon didn't want Gladion to see her face. She grabbed Sun's hand and tugged on it. "Nothing happened. Let's go meet Hau." She said nothing to Gladion as she walked away, though she could feel his gaze following her.

Sun followed her without argument. After they were farther away, Sun asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes and no. I'm just mad at myself. Whenever I get angry, I start crying. It's a terrible habit that I've been trying to squelch, but it still happens on occasion." Moon sighed.

"What did Gladion make you mad about?" Sun asked. "He's not known for going out of the way to talk to anyone, at least not anyone that isn't part of Team Skull."

Moon shrugged. "It isn't important. It was petty to be honest."

Sun looked at Moon, and decided to not press further. "Ah, well, I found something that I hope cheers you up."

"Wait a minute!" Hau finally reached them, a bit out of breath. "You don't get to show yours first, Sun! We show them at the same time, and then Moon gets to judge."

"It's a contest?" Moon asked.

Hau nodded. "If it can be a contest between Sun and I, it will be. Just for fun, of course. But we keep a tally. Sun is currently ahead by 3 wins." He turned to Sun. "Okay, on three. One, two, three!"

Sun and Hau both showed their shells that they found. Hau had found a conch shell. It was a tan pink on the outside, but a vivid pink on the inside. It was in amazingly great shape. Sun had found a Melon shell that was a peachy color both on the outside and inside. 

Sun glared at Hau. "No way you found that. A shell like that sells for at least fifty dollars in a store."

"I did too find it!" Hau argued back. "I never left the beach."

Sun looked at Hau suspiciously. However, Hau looked like he was telling the truth. Sun sighed. "Fine, you win."

"I think they are both beautiful, though. You had much better luck than me." Moon grinned. "Thank you both."

Hau checked his phone. "It's almost one. All this searching on the beach made me hungry. Are you up for lunch, Moon?"

Moon nodded. "The malasada was a good snack, but I'm ready for a full meal. Where to?"

"There's a hip restaurant a couple blocks down that features different foods from all the islands that make up Alola. It's pretty popular. I first thought we could go to a buffet, but I wasn't sure if you were a big eater or not." Hau explained.

"I can eat a buffet if skip a meal or do a late meal," Moon said. "But probably not today."

Hau nodded. "Makes sense. Alright! Off for food."

The three headed into town and walked a block when they encountered some commotion. "Stop them!" A lady yelled.

Suddenly, two teenagers dressed in black and wearing black kerchiefs wrapped around the lower halves of their faces appeared around a corner, barreling down the street, with food in their arms.

Moon quickly looked around, and noticed a city worker tending the plants along side the road. She quickly picked up the hoe that was laying on the side. "I'll return this." She promised the worker. She ran back over, and once the teenagers got closer, she stuck out the hoe, tripping them both. They fell forward, the food scattering in front of them. A few adults reached the scene, and prevented the teenagers from leaving. Moon noticed they has skulls emblazoned on their tops.

"Whoo! Good thinking, Moon!" Hau cheered.

The one teenager glared at Moon. "Are you following us on purpose, or something, yo?"

Moon blinked. "Do I know you?" She asked.

"Yo, really?" The one sighed. He groaned, when the police arrived and forced him to stand up. The officer nodded to Moon. "Thank you, miss." The police handcuffed the teenagers, and led them to their cars.

"Well, that was interesting." Sun commented. He than tilted his head, a look of confusion passing on his face. "Why did the one ask if you were following them?"

Moon chucked nervously. "Ah, I happened to meet up with some Team Skull members a few nights ago after school, and they demanded money from me."

"Whaaaaaat?" Hau and Sun shouted in unison.

"Are you okay?" Hau asked while Sun asked at the same time "Why didn't you tell us?"

Moon nodded. "Nothing happened. I had no money on me anyway, and Gladion happened to be there, and he told them to back off."

Hau frowned, his forehead crinkling. "Why was Gladion there? Did he also threaten you for money?"

Moon shook her head. "He wasn't with them when they asked for money, but appeared a bit later."

Hau made a face. "That still seems suspicious to me. I don't trust Gladion at all."

Sun nodded. "I would stay away from Gladion and Team Skull when you can."

Moon smiled. "I definitely don't want any unnecessary trouble."

"Well, shall we continue? I'm really hungry now, and I don't want any more roadblocks!" Hau complained.

Moon and Sun laughed. The three continued to Nanab's. There was a short line waiting to get a table. Sun put their name on the list, and they sat inside until they were called. Moon glanced up at the decor by the entrance. Bright florals decorated the frames of the door and windows. Sunlight streamed in from sun roof panels. Posters of people who visited the restaurant and where they came from were peppered along the walls. Moon looked to see if anyone from Kanto had visited. She spotted Gold, an international professional poker player, originally from New Bark Town in Johto, had visited the restaurant. There was a family with young kids from Saffron City that visited, but Moon didn't know who they were.

"Sun?" The hostess called out. She had green hair tied in two long pigtails and a friendly smile.

"Here!" Sun stood up and so did Moon and Hau. The three headed to a table and the hostess gave them menus. Not even a minute later, a waiter arrived. He had dark skin and hair and an athletic build.

"Good afternoon, my name is Kiawe and I'll be your server today. Are we celebrating any sort of special occasion?" Kiawe asked.

"Sure! Moon's new in Alola so we're giving her a welcome party!" Hau grinned.

"Hau!" Moon whined, feeling embarrassed.

"Well, that's a very good reason to be out!" Kiawe smiled broadly. "Your drinks today are on the house! What can I get you?"

"Lemonade please!" Hau said.

"Coke, please." Sun quipped.

"Hmm, strawberry lemonade?" Moon asked.

"Got it!" Kiawe walked away.

"How old do you think the waiter is?" Hau asked quietly.

Sun shrugged. "High school? Probably a senior."

Hau smiled slyly. "Hmmm. Moon, why are you blushing?"

"Eh?" Moon pressed her hands to her cheeks, and they felt a bit warm. "I'm not blushing!"

Hau laughed. "You're fun to tease, Moon."

Sun frowned a bit. "So that's her type?" He muttered to himself.

"Hmm, did you say something, Sun?" Moon asked.

"No!" Sun quickly replied.

"Here are your drinks. Are you ready to order?" Kiawe asked, placing the drinks down.

The three placed their order for their meals. As Kiawe flipped his writing pad closed, Hau asked, "Hey, Kiawe, are you in high school?"

Kiawe smiled. "I'm in my first year of college, actually. I'm attending U of A at Hau'oli."

"Wow, that's cool! What are you studying?" Hau asked.

"Biology, though my goal is to become a physical therapist." Kiawe replied.

Sun looked interested. "My mom's a nurse practitioner. Would it be a job with Hau'oli City hospital?"

"Well, maybe. My family lives on Akala Island, so my first choice would be finding a job there."

Moon smiled. "That's cool that you have a clear goal."

Kiawe chuckled. "Thank you. Anyway, let me get your orders in."

Hau looked impressed. "Smart dude. Maybe you could go after him once you become legal." He stuck his tongue out as Moon lighted slapped his arm.

"Nah, he's too old, and I'm sure he has all the girls over him." Moon sighed.

Hau snuck a peak at Sun and then grinned devilishly. "So, what's your type then, Moon?"

Moon blushed. "Why are you asking?"

Sun was giving a look at Hau. Hau just ignored it. "Oh, no reason. Just curious."

Moon looked thoughtful. "I don't think I have a type. As long as they are nice, I guess."

"Well, do you have any idols you like?" Hau pressed.

Moon pulled out her cell phone and opened her web browser. "I like this one. He's a pretty famous athlete in Kanto. His name is Red." Moon showed them a picture of Red she found on Google.

Sun and Hau looked at the picture. Hau grinned at Sun. "Hey, just cut your shaggy mane some, and you could almost be a clone." He elbowed Sun.

Sun's cheeks were tinted pink, but he rolled his eyes, acting nonchalant. "I'm not cutting my hair."

Moon did another search. "A lot of girls liked this other athlete, though, and he and Red are considered rivals of sorts." She showed them a picture of Green.

Hau made a face. "I guess? That's some spiky hair though."

"Well, his grandfather is a pretty famous researcher, too. Dr. Oak."

They continued to chat about various things, and a few minutes later, their meals arrived. They munched on their meals and shared portions with each other. Moon was stuffed by the end.

"That was really good!" Moon told Kiawe when he brought their check.

"I'm glad to hear that." Kiawe nodded.

Moon gave ten dollars towards her meal, and Sun and Hau also added their payment in. Sun handed it to Kiawe. "Thank you very much," Kiawe smiled. "Have a good rest of your day."

The three headed out of the restaurant. Hau was checking his texts, and upon seeing one, he made a face.

"What's wrong?" Moon asked.

"I know that expression. Your grandpa needs something?" Sun asked.

"Yeah. I'm sorry guys." Hau looked apologetic.

Moon shook her head. "No, do what you need to do."

"I'll text you guys and I'll see you in school on Monday!" Hau headed off.

Moon and Sun walked back towards the shopping district. "The Mayor's wife died a couple of years ago. Hau's dad travels a lot for business, and his mom is a doctor so she has strange hours sometimes. So when the Mayor needs something, it usually falls on Hau," Sun explained.

"But Hau takes in in stride, it seems, so that's good." Moon commented.

"Yes." Sun agreed. He then looked embarrassed. "So...did you still want to hang out or..?"

Moon shrugged. "I have nothing else to do. Can we maybe just walk though the mall briefly? I have some questions about clubs at school."

Sun smiled. "Sure."

As they walked around the mall, Moon asked what clubs and interests Sun was involved in. She found out Sun was on the soccer team during the spring and summer months and was on track during the fall. Moon admitted she wasn't much of an athlete, though she liked to dance for fun.

"Maybe next weekend, we can take a ferry to Akala Island and you can bring your camera with you. They have some great trails." Sun suggested.

"That sounds good!" Moon agreed enthusiastically.

Sun glanced at his phone. "It's almost four. I promised my parents I'd be back by four-thirty. We're going to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins today for a birthday party."

"Sounds like fun." Moon commented.

Sun made a face. "My cousin is only turning two. And her older brother is only five."

Moon laughed. "Well, you better get going so you aren't late."

"I'll probably text you if I get bored." Sun told her.

"No problem."

"Hey Moon?" Sun was blushing.

"Yeah?" Moon prompted.

Sun leaned in and gave her a light peck on her right cheek. "I'll see you Monday." His face was beet red as he ran off.

Moon stared at his retreating figure. She brought her hand up to the area of her cheek that Sun kissed. It suddenly dawned on her what happened, and she blushed. Was that normal here in Alola, giving parting kisses? She knew in Kalos that is was standard to give a kiss on each cheek when greeting friends and family. Hau didn't give her one, but he was in a hurry. Moon slowly walked back to her bus stop and waited for a bus to arrive. If it meant more, what did she do? Moon liked Sun, but right now only as a friend. She knew it could always change and evolve into something more. But Sun didn't explicitly say he liked her, but Moon heard confessions of love didn't exist in Alola. Entering into relationships were more similar culturally to Unova.

Moon decided to not dwell on it anymore. She would just see what happened. That's what she told herself before she and her mom moved here.

Moon glanced to her right and saw a familiar blonde haired girl walking along the street looking lost. Moon walked over to her. "Hi, Lillie!"

Lillie looked surprised but quickly recovered. "Good afternoon, Moon. How are you today?"

"I'm well. I had spent the day with Sun and Hau."

"Hau is in our homeroom, right?" Lillie asked.

"He's kinda hard to miss." Moon added. She noticed Lillie looked worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, I have a terrible sense of direction. I needed to pick up something for home from the mall, but I'm lost and can't find it."

"I was just there! I can walk you there." Moon said.

Lillie looked grateful. "I would appreciate that."

Moon and Lillie headed to the mall. Once they reached the entrance, Lillie turned to Moon. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," Moon replied. "Will you be okay now?"

Lillie nodded. "I believe so."

"Okay, well, see you Monday." Moon waved good-bye.

Moon headed back to the bus stop. She just missed her bus and now had another twenty minutes before the next one arrived. She sighed, and pulled out her phone to check her Instagram account. As she opened the app, suddenly a hand deftly grabbed her phone away from her. Moon quickly turned, expecting Team Skull, but saw it was Gladion.

"So that's your username." He commented.

"Hey! Give my phone back." Moon demanded.

He handed it back to her without argument. "I was curious about your photography."

"You could have just asked," Moon muttered. She then remembered Hau and Sun's warning, and decided to ignore Gladion.

"What was going on earlier, at the beach?" Gladion asked.

"None of your business," Moon snapped sarcastically.

Gladion looked briefly surprised, then smirked. "Is that kid with the shaggy hair your boyfriend? He was trying so hard to be chivalrous."

Moon continued to ignore him.

"Hmm." Gladion mused.

In the next moment, Moon found her chin propped upward and Gladion's lips on hers.


	3. Secrets

Moon found her chin lifted up and Gladion's lips pressed onto hers.

Moon's initial reaction was confusion. Why was Gladion kissing her? She then noticed a light musky cologne. It actually smelled nice. She didn't notice it before. Not that she was very this close to Gladion before...

_Wait a minute!_ Moon put her two hands on Gladion's chest and pushed him away. She glared at him. "What are you doing?" She spat out.

Gladion stared at her for a moment, then smirked. "Took you a moment to react there. And I'm pretty sure you were kissing back."

Moon felt her cheeks turn hot. "I was not!" She retorted. Then she realized something else. "How could you steal my first kiss?"

Gladion raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that a big deal?"

Moon looked back at him. So maybe in Alola, stuff like first kisses were no big deal. But still! Moon thought. She noticed the bus pulling up. As she got on, she turned around and glared at Gladion. "I hate you." She told him before climbing the remaining stairs.

\-----

Moon fumed the rest of Saturday night and Sunday morning. She barely slept during the night. What right did Gladion think he had to just kiss her like that? Maybe he did this with all unsuspecting girls, and he was a cocky jerk like that. She tried not to think how soft his lips were, and yes, maybe she did kiss him back _briefly_. But she didn't like him. There was no reason to like him.

Moon stared out her bedroom window, knowing she had homework to tackle yet. There was no reason to like him. She barely knew him. All she knew was that he skipped class and hung out on the roof when he was skipping class. Plus he was friends with or part of Team Skull. That was bad enough news as it was. Moon tapped her fingers impatiently on her desk. Maybe Gladion would be alright looking if he got a proper haircut. The jagged, French fry over one eye wasn't really her thing. But he did have nice eyes.

_Gah! Stop it!_ Moon told herself. _Don't develop a crush on the guy. Don't!_

She threw herself into doing her homework, and once that was done, she laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She reached for her cellphone and started scrolling through her favorite photo accounts on Flickr. She noticed the more serious photographers kept to that photo sharing app. There was one account in particular that had really beautiful before dawn photography. That spurned an idea in Moon's head. She doubted Gladion was the type to get to school on time. Maybe she could get to school early and take pictures then. She would scout it out tomorrow before school.

The next morning, Moon took an earlier bus to get to school a thirty minutes before her usual arrival. Some kids who had morning practices were already there. Moon recognized a few and waved to them. She dropped off her belongings to her locker and headed up the stairs to the roof. She carefully peeked around the entire roof and saw no sign of the source of her anger. _Good._

She was about to head to the exit when she heard the door open. Moon hid around the corner, hoping whoever it was didn't come in her direction.

"What was so critical that I needed to meet you here this early before school?" Gladion said.

"I don't think being with Team Skull is helping with anything." Moon heard a familiar voice say. "Why are you friends with them, Gladion?"

"It's what I need to do right now, Lillie." Gladion replied.

_Lillie and Gladion?_ Moon was surprised. She didn't want to eavesdrop but she couldn't very well reveal herself either. She carefully peeked. Sure enough, the two were there, facing each other.

"It just worries me." Lillie reached for Gladion's cheek and touched it.

Gladion face softened. He looked a lot less scary than he normally did. Moon didn't realize he could look like that. "Thank you, but I promise you I have my reasons."

"Still...." Lillie looked uncertain.

"I promise, this is for our benefit. I'm thinking of you, Lillie." Gladion reached out and hugged her. He then said something that Moon couldn't hear. Her heart beat painfully.

Gladion released Lillie, who had tears in her eyes. She wiped them away. "Okay, I won't approach you on the matter anymore and trust your decision."

"Thank you."

Moon could hear the first bell ring.

Gladion nodded to the door. "Go ahead. I'll follow in a minute."

Lillie took one last look at Gladion before heading through the door. Gladion sighed and walked to the roof's edge. He took a look out at the beach and ocean before turning around and heading indoors.

Moon sat there for a moment. What had she just witnessed? She never saw Gladion be so... _tender_ towards anyone. And was this some secret Lillie was hiding? No wonder Lillie kept to herself. _Wait,_ Moon thought. _Are those two dating?_ It seemed like it, right? And it would make sense that Lillie didn't want anyone to know she was dating the delinquent of the school. The thought of it bugged her a bit, especially when she reflected back to Saturday. _So it clearly had no meaning behind it._ She concluded. Not that she thought it did, but this confirmed it. Moonlet the ache in her heart dull into anger. _What a jerk! Moon thought. And here I was possibly developing feelings for the guy! Well, good riddance!_

Moon stood up. She was sure their trip to the roof was not a regular happening. And if it was, her presence would surely make them avoid doing so in the future, as Moon was certain they didn't want anyone to know about their relationship. She headed indoors, feeling better knowing Gladion was just playing with her.

Moon barely made it to the classroom before the final bell rang. Hau looked at her with a question in his eyes regarding her late arrival. Moon mouthed "after school" to him, and he nodded.

After school, Moon met up with Hau and Sun. Hau put his hands on his hips and frowned. "So are you going to tell me why you were almost late this morning?"

"You were almost late?" Sun asked.

Moon bit her lip. She hated talking about people behind their backs, no matter how much she disliked them. "I think Gladion hides on the roof when he skips class. I went to the roof this morning to make sure Gladion didn't hang out there that early. I rather avoid him." Well, nothing she said _wasn't_ true.

"I'm not surprised. Gladion is bad news. But supposedly he is passing his classes and still shows up everyday, so the school can't reasonably kick him out." Hau shrugged. "Well, good thinking though."

The three walked together off the school grounds. "So the Spring festival is coming up soon!" Hau grinned.

"Don't think you'll win again, Hau." Sun threatened.

"What's the Spring festival?" Moon asked.

"It's an event our school puts on that is open to our parents and family and all of Hau'oli City. We make up different stands like decorating cupcakes or carnival games. It's a big fundraiser but also a lot of fun! And homerooms get judged on a few different aspects. There's prizes for creativity, who brings in the most money and so on." Hau grinned.

"Ooh, that does sound fun." Moon nodded.

Hau grinned at Sun. "It looks like its two versus one though."

Sun's mouth dropped open a bit in realization, then he smiled, looking determined. "My homeroom will not lose to yours, Hau and Moon."

Moon grinned also. "Challenge accepted."

They reached an intersection. "Well, I go this way, guys! I'll see you tomorrow!" Hau waved.

"I'll walk with you to your bus stop," Sun said.

Moon nodded and two two walked down the street in an awkward silence.

"Soccer practice is starting soon." Sun spoke up. "And then games will begin a couple weeks after that."

Moon looked at Sun.

His cheeks were tinted pink. "It would be cool if you could come to a game when you can. They can be fun to watch. Um, I mean Hau also comes when he can."

Moon smiled. "I'd love to come see you play."

Sun blushed deeper. "Cool."

They reached the bus stop. "Thank you for waking with me. I'll see you tomorrow." Moon told Sun.

"Yeah!" Sun smiled. He waved before heading off.

The bus pulled up a few minutes later and Moon got on. Now that she had some due time, she reflected back to the scene from this morning.

Lillie and Gladion? She wasn't expecting that. But maybe it did make sense, given how Lillie and Gladion seemed to keep to themselves. Gladion actually seemed like a normal human being when he was with Lillie and was completely nice to her. He said he was part of Team Skull for their benefit. What did that mean? All Moon had encountered so far with Team Skull was petty theft. How was that beneficial?

When the bus arrived at her stop, she got off, still deep in thought. Hau told her Team Skull was a gang of teenagers. Moon didn't have much experience with gangs, but was their whole purpose simply to cause trouble? Moon frowned. There had to be more to it than that.

\-----

Later that week, there was a discussion in homeroom regarding the upcoming spring festival. They had to decide what why were going to do as a class.

"Bake sale?" One girl suggested.

"Boring!" A bunch of kids countered.

"What about some type of mini restaurant?" Another suggested.

"How many of us can cook well?" Another asked.

The kids all looked at each other and said nothing.

"What about a karaoke showdown?" Moon suggested. "You don't have to be a good singer to put on a show. And people can vote with their dollars. You can even get dressed up for the performances. We can also have concessions and maybe a dance floor area."

The kids murmured to each other.

"I like it!" Hau declared. "Sounds like a lot of fun!"

"Great idea, Moon!" Another kid said.

Hau beamed at Moon, and she grinned back. "Sun is going to choke on his words!" Hau declared. He and Moon shared a high-five.

The rest of the day flew by. After school, Moon headed to the bus stop. As she neared closer, she couldn't help but make a face. Gladion was standing there.

"Well, hi to you too," He commented upon seeing Moon's face.

"What are you doing here?" Moon asked.

"It's been a while since you've come up on the roof." Gladion stated.

Moon shrugged. "I've been busy."

Gladion stared at her. "So it isn't because you're avoiding me?" He smirked.

Moon rolled her eyes. She was too annoyed at him to react to his flirting, and she had gotten over her potential feelings for him. "I don't see how I could be avoiding you when I have no reason to be interacting with you in the first place. It's not like we're friends."

"We aren't enemies, are we?" Gladion added.

Moon pursed her lips. "No, we aren't either. But it doesn't matter anyway." Her bus pulled up. "I need to be going." She started to get on the bus when she felt Gladion grip her wrist, stopping her. She looked back at him. "Let go." She told him, her voice flat.

"No. I want you to see something first."

Moon stared back at him. He wasn't smirking but actually looked serious.

"Are you getting on the bus, miss?" The driver asked.

"She'll catch the next one." Gladion spoke up, pulling Moon away.

"Hey! What are you doing? I have homework to do!" Moon huffed.

"It won't take long." Gladion replied.

"Are you at least going to let go of my wrist?" Moon asked.

"If I let go, are you going to run off?" Gladion asked dryly.

"No! Geez, I'll go see whatever it is you want to show me." Moon shot back.

Gladion promptly dropped Moon's wrist. "This way."

The two headed to Hau'oli Beach. Gladion led Moon to the far end where rocks were more common. "We need to go around the rocks." He began climbing them.

"Really?" Moon asked sarcastically. "I unfortunately have to wear a skirt for school."

Gladion rolled his eyes and offered his hand. "C'mon."

Sighing, Moon took it. The two stepped carefully on the rocks. Gladion then jumped down. Moon followed him.

"Here." Gladion said.

Moon looked at the scene in front of her. It was a small beach area that looked mostly in disturbed. Signs of tide pools were etched in the sand. The sand seemed less rocky too, and almost sparkled. "This is so beautiful!" Moon exclaimed, smiling. Then she remembered Gladion and coughed. "I mean, it's not bad."

Gladion smirked. "I found it the other day and thought you'd like it for your photography."

Moon's mouth twitched. She did like it a lot. But she wasn't about to give Gladion the womanizer the satisfaction of knowing so. She nodded simply. "Thanks for showing it to me. I have to head back now." Moon turned around and started to head to the rocky area.

"Are you and that kid together?" Gladion asked.

Moon stopped and looked back. "'Kid?' You mean Sun? No, but what business is it of yours?"

"None, I guess."

Moon sighed. She didn't understand Gladion. He was too mysterious. She climbed up on the rock and carefully made her way back to the beach. She saw Gladion had followed her, but was frowning at his phone as he climbed off the last rock and stood on the main beach. Moon decided to ignore him and walked away without saying anything.

"See you." Gladion called after her.

Moon gave a half wave without looking back. She headed back to the bus stop and just made it in time for the bus.

She decided she just didn't understand Gladion. He sometimes acted nice but he still seemed like a jerk to her. But Moon decided to put it aside, as her time would be better spent focusing on the Spring festival.


	4. Spring Festival

At school, it was chaos. The Spring festival was this weekend, and all the homerooms were deep in preparations. Everyone had been staying after school to try to finish everything that needed to get done.

"How's that banner coming?" Hau asked. "And the signs for the concessions?"

Moon watched as Hau interacted with the groups of students hard at work. When Hau reached her, she mock saluted. "You're a natural leader."

Hau grinned sheepishly. "Everyone says I get it from Gramps. But I have no interest in going into politics." He made a face.

Moon had to admit, she couldn't see Hau being a politician either. So many of them were stuffy and entitled, though she didn't know what Mayor Hala was like. "Still, some type of role with leadership skills would be great for you."

"Hau, stop flirting with your girlfriend and come over here. We need your feedback." A kid shouted.

"We're not dating!" Moon and Hau both shouted back at the same time. They looked at each other and broke into laughter.

Hau headed off, and Moon continued to work on playlist order for the karaoke competition. Some students were doing groups songs and others were doing solos. Moon hadn't decided herself what she would do yet, but figured she would stick her name in before the weekend. She counted the participants, and notice she was missing one. She glanced at Lillie, who was working on the envelopes that would collect the money for each performance. Moon stood up and headed over.

"Hey, Lillie, I noticed you aren't listed with a song choice yet." Moon began.

Lillie looked up. She bit her lip nervously. "I don't know many songs, as I really don't listen to music. Well, at least not popular music." She blushed. "Plus I get really embarrassed if I'm front of a crowd."

Moon looked thoughtful. It was planned that everyone was going to put on a performance. She had to be fair and make Lillie participate as well. _Is there an easy song that perhaps Lillie could sing with me?_ Moon racked her brain. To be honest, she was having a tough time too coming up with a song she would perform. She then thought of the one group that was playing their own guitar.

"Do you play any instruments?" Moon asked.

"Um, yes. I've taken piano lessons for quite a few years." Lillie replied.

Moon clucked her tongue. Guitar would have been better. Any songs Moon knew well enough that had piano in them were all sad songs. Not exactly something to sing at a festival.

On the other side of the classroom, a group of students were watching Moon and Lillie.

"Are those two friends?" One wondered.

"Yeah, how did Moon get in with the ice princess?" Another commented.

"Hey!" Hau interrupted. "No bad mouthing my friend!"

Another kid smiled deviously at Hau. "Ooh, is there something more going on between you and Moon, Hau?"

Hau gave the student a look. "Seriously? A girl and guy can't just be friends?"

"Ah, so you are still stuck on Lillie?" The kid speculated.

Hau rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go see what's going on." He headed over to the two girls. "Hey! No slacking off!" Hau said jokingly as he joined Moon and Lillie.

Moon side-eyed Hau. Undoubtedly he saw this as an opportunity to talk with Lillie. Moon let out a snort. Hau poked her with his elbow.

"So what's the problem?" Hau asked.

"Picking a song," Moon explained. "Lillie doesn't sing but can play piano, and I suggested tag teaming, but any song I know with piano is kind of depressing."

Hau shrugged. "So sing the sad song."

Moon made a face. "Won't that be a downer at a happy festival?"

"Maybe? But having fully live music compared to singing to a karaoke track may actually bring in a good crowd - and money." Hau replied.

"Maybe." Moon was still doubtful.

Hau put his hands on Moon's shoulders and kiddingly shook her. "Don't think about it too much and just do it."

Moon turned to Lillie. "You up to it?"

Lillie nodded. "I think so."

"There!" Hau smiled widely. "All settled!" Hau walked away as he was called upon by some students.

Moon glanced at Lillie. She was staring after Hau, and her cheeks were slightly pink. "Hau is really nice, isn't he?"

Moon tried to control her surprise. "Um, yeah."

Lillie shook her head and her expression looked determined. "Ok, I'll do my best and practice for Saturday."

"I'll get you the music today." Moon told her.This will be interesting. Moon couldn't help but think to herself.

* * *

On Saturday, students started arriving at the school grounds beginning at seven in the morning. The festival would begin around noon, and there was a lot to still set up. Some homerooms who had indoor areas were able to start setting up Friday after school. Moon's homeroom had the stage in the gym, so they had moved stuff yesterday, but still needed to set up this morning.

"Where are the extension cords?" One kid called out.

"Careful! Watch behind you." A few other kids were moving supplies for the concession stand around.

Moon felt someone tap her shoulder. It was Lillie. "Are you not dressing up?" She asked.

Moon looked at Lillie, who was wearing a simple off white sleeveless dress and short tan heels. "I'll change once we're done setting up." She told Lillie.

Lillie fidgeted. "Can I help with something?"

"Moon!" Hau's voice came. He then saw Lillie and blushed. "Wow, you look nice, Lillie."

Lillie blushed as well. "Thank you."

Hau cleared his throat. "Um, if you want to help, you can put the programs on the table where the people will be entering."

"O-ok! I'll go do that!" Lillie rushed off.

"Hmm..." Moon said aloud, raising an eyebrow at Hau.

Hau made a face. "Don't look at me like that."

Moon frowned a bit. She was worried about Hau possibly getting hurt. Should she warn Hau?

"Moon, are you okay?" Hau asked, looking concerned.

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit nervous," Moon said truthfully.

"Don't worry about it. No one expects this to be Unova Idol." Hau chuckled. "I think the worse the singing and silliness, the more of a crowd we'll attract."

Moon laughed. "Maybe."

The mike suddenly screeched. The students all covered their ears.

"Oops, sorry." A boy cringed. Another kid taking care of the sound adjusted the volume. "Testing." He spoke into the mike. Hau gave him a thumbs up.

Two hours later, everything was mostly in place, and students were rotating out to get changed. Moon was in the locker room, and pulled out her outfit. The singer who sang the song she would be performing sometimes wore more edgy clothing. Moon had an old costume from last year where she dressed up in Gothic Lolita fashion, and the dress still fit her. It was a short sleeved black dress with a full multi-tiered lace skirt. Moon also wore short ankle black boots, finger-less lace gloves, and put a black headband on with a medium-sized bow on her head. She quickly put on some light makeup. Checking herself one last time in the mirror, she decided it was good enough, and headed out of the locker room.

Moon checked her cell phone. It was eleven-thirty. People were likely starting to arrive. She headed to to the area where their section was in the gym. As she got closer, Moon started to laugh. Hau had his hair down and in complete disarray, and had on a black leather jacket, a chain necklace and dark jeans. He was clearly trying to pass off as a rocker.

"Hau, you're killing me," Moon was still laughing as she reached Hau.

Hau turned, and his mouth dropped open a bit upon seeing Moon. "Whoa, Moon, you look...pretty but in a dark kinda way."

Moon fluffed out her skirt a bit. "Thank you. I had this from last Halloween, and figured it was good enough."

Hau held out his fist. "Promise to do our best today?"

Moon grinned and bumped her fist with Hau's. "Yes!"

* * *

At noon, the school grounds became busy with parents, family, and other people living on Melemele Island. The smell of food wafted through the air, excited chatter could be heard, and groups of people gathered around stands that were scattered throughout the school buildings and outside. Students were taking shifts, so they also had a chance to visit other booths. Moon and Lillie weren't performing until three, so Moon was helping out with concessions.

"Moon!" Mom was waving as she approached their stand.

"Mom!" Moon replied back happily. She then saw a well-built tanned man with a bit of a goatee and his short hair pulled back into a ponytail trailing behind.

"Dr. Kukui!" Moon bowed out of bad habit from growing up in Kanto. "Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend."

"Haha, no problem at all, Moon! I usually attend every year anyway. And just call me Kukui! We're family after all, yeah." Kukui grinned at her. "You look great! When are you performing?"

"Oh, not until three." Moon replied. "I'm helping out with concessions until two, then I have a hour break to explore, then I have to be back here."

Kukui nodded. "So what goodies do you have for us to munch on?"

Moon showed them their options of potstickers, teriyaki chicken on sticks, spring rolls, cookies, and a variety of soda and drinks.

"Mmmm, I'll have some potstickers and chicken!" Kukui handed Moon money.

She took it and then prepared his small plate. Meanwhile, Hau, got on the stage, and tested the mike. "Helloooooooo Hau'oli City Junior Hiiiiiiigh!" He yelled enthusiastically into the mike. "You ready for a good show and some fun performances? We're going to be starting the show soon! We have programs on the table over there, and there is a table on your right to vote with your dollars for the best performance! We'll be performing the first thirty minutes of each hour during the festival. The other thirty minutes, we'll have an open karaoke. An open dance floor will be available the entire time. We hope you have fun and thank you for supporting Hau'oli Junior High and homeroom two-oh-one!"

People cheered. A couple other students joined Hau on stage in equally bad rock fashion, and Hau motioned to the student running the sound system to start. The trio broke out into "Livin' On a Prayer". Hau was madly swinging his hair around and strumming an air guitar as he sang. Moon was trying to keep an eye on the concessions, but she was laughing to a point where her stomach was hurting and she had tears in her eyes. The crowd was clearly loving it too, and more people came to watch the performance.

The time flew by quickly. During the second open karaoke session, Kiawe dropped by. He started a dance group of "Thriller", and soon, they had around fifty people dancing. Another group came in, and sang "Uptown Funk", starting another group dance with the audience. Moon was selling food and drinks quickly, and at the rate they were going, they were going to be out of food around three. 

When two o'clock hit, Moon sighed and relief. She now has her break, and quickly headed off. She wanted at the very least to see what Sun's homeroom had done. She went through the hallway, and found their area. Sun's homeroom had set up a mini carnival, with games, students dressed as clowns and making balloon animals, and tables with standard carnie fare of popcorn, cotton candy and hot dogs. Moon located Sun, who was dressed as a ring master. Sun spotted Moon and waved.

"Hey! How's it going? You look great!" Moon greeted him upon reaching him.

Sun grinned. "Thanks! You look different from the usual you, but pretty. You're on break now?"

Moon nodded. "Did you already have a break?"

"Yeah," Sun replied. "I stopped by your booth, but didn't see you. You guys have the area rocking! I hate to admit it, but I think you guys will take one of the top prizes."

Moon smiled. "Thanks!"

Another student from Sun's homeroom was calling him over. Sun grinned. "Back to work! Have fun during your break!"

"Thanks!" Moon headed to the popcorn stand, and bought a small popcorn. She had munched on some potstickers earlier, but she didn't have a lunch today, and was starving. She walked around to the other booths as she ate her popcorn. One homeroom set up a coffee cafe. Another set up a haunted house. She loved the creativity she saw and the energy of the crowd. She could see why all the students looked forward to this annual event.

Moon glanced at her cell phone and saw she had five minutes left to her break. As she started to head back, she bumped into a girl who wasn't much taller than her.

"Oooh, cute getup." The purple haired girl complimented. She had pale violet eyes and was dressed in a dark blue dress. Her style wasn't quite goth but had shades of it. "I'm Acerola! What booth are you running?"

"The karaoke one." Moon told her.

"That sounds like fun!" Acerola clasped her hands. "I will be sure to drop by."

"Thank you!" Moon waved as she headed off.

Moon got back to the gym. She looked around, and couldn't find Lillie. "Where's Lillie?" Moon asked a classmate.

"I think she went to the bathroom." The kid replied.

Moon headed to the locker room and into the restroom half. She found Lillie bent over a sink, looking pale.

"Lillie?" Moon asked. "Are you feeling okay?"

Lillie shook her head. "I'm so nervous right now My stomach is doing somersaults."

"Hey." Moon tentatively rubbed Lillie's back. "You just have to follow the music sheet. You don't have to look at the crowd at all. I'll take the lead in trying to be the entertainer, okay?"

After a few minutes, Lillie stood up straighter and nodded. "Okay, I'll try my best."

Moon smiled. "Good."

The two headed out back in the area in front of the stage. Moon and Lillie joined the other performers who would be going on soon. On stage, Mr. Ilima was doing a hilarious karaoke take of "Hooked on a Feeling" and getting the crowd fully involved. As he ended, the crowd clapped wildly. Moon looked at Lillie. "Ready?"

Lillie nodded looking a bit scared but also determined. "Yes."

"Okay, next up, we have Moon and Lillie!" Hau announced.

Lillie stood in front of the keyboard, and Moon positioned herself in front of the mike. Looking out at the crowd, it was larger and more intimidating than she expected it to be. She took a deep breath. She saw her mom was there and so was Kukui. She also saw blonde head at the back of the crowd. Was that Gladion? Moon couldn't quite tell. She took a deep breath in. She needed to focus.

Moon turned back to Lillie and nodded. Lillie started to play on the piano. After a couple of chords, Moon started singing her favorite song by one of her favorite artists.

_You let go of my hand  
You say you have important things to do  
In search of something  
Knocking in a faint sound_

_Ohh... The pain is burning your senses  
Ohh... You're getting colder  
Oh believe in me Oh believe in me  
The magic you can create  
If you only knew  
You're forgetting me  
Forgetting how to dream_

As Moon sang, she saw that blonde kid was definitely Gladion. He was staring at her, his expression unreadable. Moon stared back at him, as she continued to sing.

_Remember back then  
When we played one the dandelion hill  
Till the sunset  
We didn't need anything else_

_Ohh... You're always protecting yourself  
Ohh... Come here with me  
Oh believe in me Oh believe in me  
Do you ever feel this quietness inside?  
That is where you'll find me  
Nothing can erase me_

Lillie finished the ending chords on the keyboard, and the crowd broke into applause. Moon was jolted back to reality, breaking her gaze from Gladion. She turned around to reach for Lillie's hand, and they took a bow together. Lillie was beaming. The two headed off stage, and another classmate headed on stage. Hau met the two a few feet away from the stage. "Moon! You can actually sing! You have such a pretty voice!" Hau said excitedly. "Ah!" He then seemed to remember Lillie. "You played well too!"

Lillie smiled. "It's fine, but thank you. Moon really did well."

A bunch of other students also approached Moon and Lillie to complement them on their performance.

Moon sighed and grabbed a bottle of water. She was still trying to calm herself. She didn't mean to lock eyes with Gladion, and she hoped no one else noticed. She couldn't pull her eyes away from his though, as they had some emotion she never saw before in them - it was the usual haughtiness or anger. It was even different from the tenderness he showed Lillie.

"Moon! We need help with the concessions!" A classmate called.

"Coming!" Moon replied. She took one last swig of water before making her way over.

* * *

The festival ended at six, and they had another hour of clean up before they could leave. Moon felt exhausted once everything was over and done, though it was a lot of fun. Hau, Sun, she and a group of others planned on grabbing dinner at the nearby burger place to celebrate. They had won a reward for bringing in the most money and second place for being creative. Hau and his group managed to bring in the most money for their performance, and Moon had to agree, it was the most fun of them all.

She changed back into regular clothes - a pair of jean shorts, a plain coral v neck Tee, a cropped light grey zippered hoodie, a white baseball cap and her black Converse, and went back out into the gym. Moon found Lillie. "Are you planning on coming out for burgers?" She asked.

Lillie bit her lower lip. "Would everyone be okay with me coming along?"

"Of course!" Moon declared. "We're an open group."

Lillie nodded and smiled. "Okay, I'll join you."

Moon headed out of the gym with Lillie. Lillie's phone buzzed, and she glanced at the message. She looked around and then spotted someone. "Um, I'm going to go back in the gym and wait with Hau." Lillie said. "I'll see you soon!" She rushed back into the gym.

Moon stared after Lillie in confusion. She soon felt someone approach her.

"Hey," Gladion said.

Moon slowly turned to look at him. He was dressed in dark jeans, a black tee, red sneakers and his usual cuff bracelets. His expression was hard to read, but it wasn't his usual smirk or frown.

"Hi," Moon replied.She was suspicious now that Lillie was somehow involved, but it didn't make sense to her. What exactly was their relationship?

Gladion grabbed her hand and led her away. "Hey!" Moon protested. What was with this guy? At one point they passed Sun, who looked surprised. Moon didn't look forward to having explain this later.

They reached a quiet area alongside the school. Gladion and Moon stopped.

"What do you want?" Moon asked.

Gladion looked at her seriously. "It seems that you and Lillie have become friends. She needs that. Thank you."

Moon blinked in surprise. That was unexpected. She then remembered the roof scene and felt a twinge of jealousy. Gladion seemed to really care about Lillie. "You're welcome, I guess." She then eyed Gladion wearily.

"Sing me another song."

"Excuse me?" Moon was flabbergasted. She couldn't follow this guy.

"I want to hear you sing another song." Gladion repeated.

Moon frowned. "I heard you the first time." She then had an idea. She didn't really want to know the truth, but her curiosity got the better of her. "Okay but in exchange for something first."

Now Gladion smirked. "Oh, do you want another kiss?"

Moon blushed. She silently berated herself for not thinking that through. "No! Not that!" She then turned serious. "It was obvious it was you that texted Lillie before she ran back to the gym. What is your relationship with her?"

Gladion looked surprised. "That's what you want to know? She's my sister."

Moon was bracing for an entirely different answer. "Ehhhh?" She couldn't help but exclaim.

Gladion shrugged. "It's not a secret from the school administration, but we don't go out of the way to make it known to anyone."

Moon stared back at Gladion. Now that she thought about it, they did have the same hair and eye color and the same face shape, though their eye shape and eyebrows were different. _Wait! So that means they definitely aren't dating._ Then Moon chastised herself. _Moon, what are you thinking?_

Gladion raised an eyebrow, interrupting her thoughts. "I kept up my end of the bargain."

Moon made a face. "Fine, just one verse and refrain." She picked a song from another group she liked. As she sang, she watched as Gladion listened intently. When she finished, he had a faint smile on his face.

Moon sighed. "There. Happy now?"

Gladion smirked. "Sure."

Moon rolled her eyes. "Okay, well, see you." She started to walk away when suddenly she was pulled from behind and soon Gladion's arms were wrapped around her.

"What are you-" Moon started to say. She felt him lean his forehead on her back of her head.

"Give me a moment." He murmured.

Moon felt her heart beat erratically. Even though it was probably less that a minute, it felt like forever. She really didn't hate the feeling of Gladion being so close. It was somehow soothing, but different in some way she couldn't describe. Soon, Gladion slowly let go. Moon looked back at him, but he had the usual smirk on his face. "See you." He turned around and headed off.

Moon stood in stupor for a minute. _That jerk!_ She fumed to herself when she recovered. Still toying with her as usual. She stalked back to find Hau, Sun and Lillie waiting for her.

"Moon, where were you?" Hau asked. "Everyone already left, but we stayed back for you."

Moon avoided their stares. "I got sidetracked with something." She could feel Sun's eyes boring into her with curiosity. She instead glanced at Lillie, who was looking at her with a bit of a smirk on her face. When she saw Moon looking back at her, she quickly recomposed her face to her usual ice princess expression.

"Okay, boys, enough already. I'm starving, and I'm sure you are too. Let's get going already." Lillie announced. She started to walk ahead, and Hau rushed to walk alongside her. That left Moon to walk with Sun.

Moon didn't say anything, waiting for the inevitable question from Sun. After walking a block, Sun cleared his throat.

"Moon, do you like Gladion?" He asked.

 _Well that is blunt and to the point,_ Moon thought. She glanced at Sun, and shook her head. "I don't think so."

"But you don't know for sure."

"I..." Moon's voice trailed off.

Sun glanced at Moon. He sighed. "Okay, sorry for making you uncomfortable."

Moon shook her head. "It's okay."

Sun smiled, and gently patted her on the head. It was a comforting feeling, much like how she felt when she got a hug from her mother. She glanced back at Sun. Could she like Sun? He was nice, open and friendly like Hau. She enjoyed hanging out with him. Compared to Gladion, he didn't frustrate her or keep secrets or randomly appear and disappear.

Wait, why was she thinking about all this? She didn't have to choose either one of them. Heck, she didn't even have to fall in love. What was wrong with her? Moon took a deep breath in and let it out as a laugh. Sun looked at her curiously.

Moon pointed ahead. "C'mon, we should catch up to Hau and Lillie."

Sun nodded, and the two raced ahead. Sun reached first and grabbed Hau's shoulders from behind, surprising him. Hau let out a yelp. Moon and Lillie laughed.

In the distance, Gladion was watching the foursome. Well, mostly he was focused on Moon. A pink haired woman appeared behind him, watching the crew. "Are those your little sister's friends?" She asked.

"I guess." Gladion said gruffly. "What do you want, Plumeria?"

"Nothing, Guzma was just curious as to what you were up to today. He has a job he needs you to do tomorrow, so you better show and not bail on us like you did today."

"I told Guzma I had school obligations last week. He probably forgot." Gladion replied.

Plumeria slapped Gladion. "Don't speak badly of Guzma! You're lucky, you little spoiled brat, that he even took you in." Plumeria turned around. "Just be sure to show up at Malie City tomorrow." She walked off.

Gladion sighed. He took one last look at Moon's retreating figure before heading off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song lyrics are (c) Olivia Lufkin. I just love her music, and since I consider Moon the equivalent of half Japanese/half American, I thought it would make sense for Moon to be interested in artists who were also half Japanese.


	5. House Guest

Gladion sighed as he wearily entered the room he was renting above the take out Chinese restaurant. He had just gotten back from Akala Island after running around doing jobs for Team Skull all day. But it got him enough money to pay another month's rent.

He put away the money and grabbed some night clothes. He headed to the bathroom and stripped away his dust covered clothes, tossing them on the floor. After taking a quick shower, he headed back to his room.

Flopping down on the bed, Gladion picked up his phone. He opened the voice memos and played one.

"When you fall asleep.....The ropes come undone," Moon's voice sang. He had secretly recorded Moon when he asked for her to sing. When it finished, he played it one more time.

He had no idea Lillie was performing with the girl he had first met on the roof. When Lillie texted him that she was performing with her classmate Moon and asked if he could be there, he agreed for the sake of being the supportive big brother.

He sneaked out from his homeroom's booth to where Lillie's homeroom had their booth. However, there was a large crowd, and Gladion couldn't quite see the stage. When he heard the piano, he knew Lillie was on stage, but when he heard Moon start singing, he found himself drawn to the voice. He made his way forward where he wasn't behind some six plus foot adult and was shocked to see that Moon was "photography girl", as he had been referring to her up to that point. He had never gotten her name in all their interactions, and smiled to himself at the irony.

At one point during the song, Moon spotted him. She looked right into his eyes. As she continued to sing, he found himself entirely drawn into her grey eyes. It wasn't until the crowd started clapping that Moon looked away, jolting Gladion back to reality. He quietly slipped away and headed to the roof to gather his thoughts. As he stared at the bright blue sky above him, he thought about Moon, who unexpectedly appeared before him that one day on the roof. When she had woken him, he was annoyed and intended to tell her off. But when he saw her, her large grey eyes staring back at him and her dark hair framing her heart-shaped face, he found himself going softer on her than planned.

Later that week, he had actually gone to his last period class, so not to go an entire week of skipping. He decided to go up to the roof before joining Team Skull for some job of sorts. When he got there, he found Moon standing on the ledge of the roof. Without thinking, he rushed over and pulled her down, catching her in his arms. He found himself lecturing her like he did with Lillie when they were younger. When she looked up at him with those large grey eyes, holding no judgement toward him whatsoever, he found his heart beat faster for a moment, and he quickly let go of her. He faced away from her, as he felt his cheeks heat up. He didn't understand how some girl could be making him flustered like this.

Gladion's thoughts were interrupted when Mr. Surge came on the roof. He was Gladion's homeroom teacher and for some reason, he looked out for Gladion. Gladion suspected that the former lieutenant was once a trouble maker himself. "Gladion, you better get back down so I don't have to report you for slacking off on school duties."

Gladion got up. "Okay." He didn't argue with Mr. Surge since he kept Gladion from getting into too much trouble with the school admin.

Gladion went back downstairs to join his classmates, many giving him dirty looks. He went back to stocking cups and napkins for their taco stand. As he worked, he thoughts wandered back to Moon. Back at the beach, he was genuinely touched by how she handled that little kid who wanted the shell. It was somewhat maternal. Later, when he saw that kid give Moon a kiss on her cheek, he felt angry and a need to up that kid one. Though he didn't think it through well, and she seemed pretty angry at him afterward. When he didn't see her up on the roof for a while, he got bothered enough to seek her out, dragging her to the beach with him. But seeing her smile, albeit brief, calmed down his anxieties he didn't realize he was harboring.

He has texted Lillie once about Moon, though before he knew her name. He had mentioned how he met this strange girl on the roof who had no common sense whatsoever. He didn't know how Lillie somehow connected her to Moon, but as they were cleaning up, he received a text from her, saying she would be leaving with Moon and maybe he should drop by. Gladion had contemplated whether to do so, but did. As he got closer to the gymnasium, he saw Lillie with Moon, who was dressed simply but looked beautiful at the same time. He texted Lillie of his arrival, and she poorly scooted away, leaving him to talk with Moon alone.

Back in his room, Gladion stared up at the ceiling. He felt exhausted but too awake to fall asleep yet. He didn't understand what it was about Moon that he was so drawn to. As far as he knew, she was just an average teenage girl like the many other millions on the world. Yet, he found himself always going back to her. He had no idea what she thought of him. Annoyed, indifferent, angry, who knew? But there were little things like her smile and eyes that made him want to see her.

He glanced at his phone. It was almost ten. Tomorrow would be a school day, so he really needed to try to sleep. He turned to his side, and tried to relax.

* * *

The next morning, he saw it was only six when he awoke. He groaned, as homeroom wasn't until eight-fifteen. He decided to get up anyway. He threw on his uniform pants and button down shirt, and lazily did his tie. He grabbed his bookbag and blazer on his way out.

After reaching school, he decided to head to the roof, since it was too loud on the school grounds thanks to morning practices. When he got up to the top, he was surprised to find Moon up there, with her photography equipment set up. Forgetting himself, he let the door slam, and Moon jumped. She turned, and seeing it was him, made a face that wasn't quite annoyance but also not quite surprise. "Hi," she said simply, before turning back to her camera.

"Hey," Gladion replied. He put down his bookbag and laid down, placing his head and shoulders on it. He didn't sleep that well, but having Moon's presence nearby was strangely comforting. He yawned as he shifted a bit to get more comfortable. He glanced toward Moon. "What are you taking pictures of today?"

"The city skyline as the sun rises. The reflection on the glass of the skyscrapers is pretty cool."

Well, she was having a normal conversation so far. That was...good.

Moon glanced at Gladion. "I'm surprised to as you up this early. I didn't peg you as the morning type."

Gladion shrugged. "I didn't sleep well." He closed his eyes, deciding a quick nap wouldn't hurt. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but he was awakened by Moon putting away her photography equipment. He lazily opened his eyes to watch her.

Moon noticed him looking at her. "Oh, you're awake? Good, I was going to wake you anyway. The first bell is about to ring."

Gladion blinked and glanced at his phone. Sure enough, it was already eight-ten. He had fallen asleep for over an hour. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his forehead. Moon had her other hand on her own forehead.

"Hmm, you feel a bit warm to me. Are you feeling okay?" Moon looked down at him with concern as she moved her hand away.

Gladion felt his cheeks heating up. "I'm fine." He muttered.

"Your cheeks also seem a bit red." Moon pointed out.

Gladion looked back at Moon, and he could swear there was a slight smile playing on her lips. He wasn't sure if she was being serious or teasing him. He rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine. I just took a nap." He stretched and slowly got up.

"Okay." Moon picked up her equipment, and headed to the exit door. "See you."

* * *

Later that day, Gladion was feeling chilled. He almost never wore his blazer, but he had it on by the last period of the day. Thankfully, he didn't have any Team Skull jobs until the weekend. He contemplated texting Lillie to let her know, but then decided she would unnecessarily freak out. The Chinese take out place was only two blocks from the school. He could walk it and then take some NyQuil, rest for the evening and be fine by tomorrow morning.

As he headed in the direction of the Chinese restaurant, he felt himself wobble a bit. The fever must be higher than he thought. He was mad at himself for getting sick, as he never got sick at this time of year. He felt a bit dizzy when he felt a pair of hands behind his back, steadying him.

"I was right!" Moon's voice came. She sighed. "I figured you were the type to not take proper care of yourself."

Gladion didn't want to admit defeat, but he was secretly relieved Moon was there. "What are you doing here?" He asked sarcastically.

"Where do you live?" Moon asked, ignoring him. "I'll make sure you get home safe."

Gladion then remembered his living situation. That was not something he wanted Moon to see. "I'll be fine."

"Look!" Moon suddenly had the "don't you mess with me" face. "I don't need it on my conscience if you end up getting hit by a car or collapse in some alley if I let you go home by yourself. I don't care if your room is a mess or if you have x rated movies or what. I'm taking you home."

 _X rated...? Oh, screw it._ Gladion was too feverish to argue. He just nodded and pointed. "This way." Two two headed east to the Chinese restaurant. Climbing up a narrow staircase, they headed down a hallway to a bedroom with a twin bed, a small side table, a chest of drawers and a closet. A simple ceiling fixture and fan was the only source of light in the room. The room was clean but a bit disorderly, with dirty clothes scattered on the floor and schoolwork in random piles on top of the chest and side table. Decor was completely absent.

"Change and then lay in bed." Moon commanded. "I'll be back." She disappeared.

Gladion found a pair of clean pajama pants and a t shirt and climbed into bed, pulling the covers over him. He was feeling achy as well.

Around ten minutes later, Moon appeared. She had a small plastic bag hanging on her arm and was carrying a bowl and clear plastic bag filled with ice.

"Sit up a bit." She pulled out a thermometer. "Let's check your temp first." Sixty seconds later, the digital thermometer beeped. "One hundred three point three." Moon muttered. She grabbed Motrin and a bottle of water. "It's too early for you to take NyQuil. Take this." She handed the pills and bottle to Gladion, who took the medication. "I brought you some chicken soup from the Chinese restaurant. Not sure how great it tastes, but you need to eat something. So eat what you can."

Gladion slowly at the soup. He watched as Moon looked around and found a laundry basket and tossed the dirty clothes inside. There was still half a bowl of soup left but he couldn't eat anymore. He laid back down.

Moon noticed Gladion finished eating, and brought over the bag of ice. "This will be cold, but we need to work on reducing your fever." She put it on his forehead. "Now rest." She headed to the doorway.

Gladion glanced at Moon. It had been a long time since he had been taken care of like this. "Thank you."

Moon looked back at him. "I already called my mom and told her I was caught up helping a classmate. I'll be downstairs working on my homework and be up periodically to check on you." She then disappeared into the hallway, closing the bedroom door behind her.

Gladion closed his eyes. In his delirious state, his thoughts wandered all over. How was Moon's mom just okay with this? Where did Moon get the medicine? Did she buy the soup? If so, he should pay her back. Why was she sticking around? Where did the ice come from? At some point, he must have dozed off, as it was dark when he was awoken gently by Moon.

"It's almost eight," she said softly. "I want to check your temp."

Gladion edged himself up, and Moon stuck the thermometer in his mouth. When it beeped, Moon took it back. "Hmm, one hundred point four. It's down, but you still have a fever." She looked concerned and thoughtful. "Could you manage a short walk downstairs? My mom is going to pick me up in five, but I don't like the idea of leaving you here to fend for yourself while you still have a fever. You could come back to my place and sleep on the couch." Gladion started to protest, and Moon interrupted him. "I doubt you'll be well enough to go to school tomorrow anyway."

So Gladion soon found himself in the backseat of Moon's Mom's car on the way to the Hau'oli Outskirts. Gladion kept his eyes closed for the fifteen minute drive. When they arrived, he opened his eyes to find a modest one story home with a porch that wrapped around the front and right side of the house. The back door opened, and he found a woman looking at him with motherly concern. "I think you were half out of it when we met earlier, but I'm Moon's mom. Let's get you inside."

The three made their was inside the house. The living room was right in front and a bit further back was the kitchen. Moon and her mom got Gladion settled on the couch and her mom threw a throw on top of him. He had to admit that the couch was much more comfortable than his bed. 

Moon appeared at his side. "Here, take the NyQuil." After Gladion swallowed the pills and some water, she placed the bottle of water on the coffee table and turned off the lamp. "Just rest, okay?"

Gladion nodded. Lying on the plush couch with a comfortable pillow under his head, he felt himself drifting off. At one point, he heard Moon and her mom speaking softly.

"I can't imagine the poor child living on his own like this." Moon's mom sighed. "I mean, there are such situations like this out there, but still."

"Thank you for letting him come here." He heard Moon say.

"Don't worry. I would have done the same if I was in your situation." Her mom replied. "You said he's in eighth grade? How did you two meet?"

"By chance." Gladion sensed Moon was squirming.

Gladion felt himself getting sleepier as the NyQuil kicked in.

"Is he your friend, Moon?" Her mom asked.

Gladion was curious himself, but found himself asleep before he could hear Moon's reply.

* * *

Gladion was woken up by Moon, who waved the thermometer in front of his half open eyes. He lazily opened his mouth, and she stuck it in. She touched his forehead and sighed a bit. Taking it back when it was done, she got up and came back with more Motrin.

"You still have a fever." She told him quietly as he took the medication. "Do you think you could go to school?"

Gladion tried to sit up and felt the room spin a bit, before collapsing back down.

"Okay, nope." Moon stood up and went to grab some orange juice. "At least drink some fluids if you aren't hungry. My mom works only a ten minute walk away, so she'll come check on you during lunchtime. I have to get ready for school. Try to recover."

Gladion only realized then that Moon was still in her nightclothes of a tank and sweatshorts. He tried not to blush.

Moon disappeared, and he heard her rustling around as she got ready for school. On her way out, she stopped alongside Gladion. "What homeroom are you in?"

"Three one two," Gladion mumbled, still feeling drowsy.

"Okay, I'll let your homeroom teacher know you're out sick today. Feel better." Moon left out the front door.

Gladion tried to fall back asleep but decided to make a quick run to the bathroom first. He glanced to his right as he exited the bathroom and was surprised to see a small decorated table. On the table was a picture of a man with dark blonde hair and grey eyes.

"I'm guessing these remembrances aren't a thing in Alola." Moon's mom said, startling Gladion.

"I'm sorry for intruding." Gladion apologized.

Moon's mom held up her hand to stop him. "No apologies needed." She glanced at the small altar. "Moon's father - my husband - died a year ago unexpectedly. The doctors still have no idea what caused his death."

Gladion looked down. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Moon's mom smiled. "Thank you." She then turned serious. "Moon took it hard. She and her father were very close. She got all her creative genes from him. I'm strictly analytical." She laughed. "He was a photographer as well. All of Moon's photography equipment was originally his. She was having a pretty tough time, so I thought a change in scenery would do her good."

Gladion looked back at the photograph of Moon's dad. She definitely inherited his eyes and smile.

"Gladion." Moon's mom interrupted his thoughts. "I don't want to impose on you, but if you need a rent-free place to live, I am happy to let you stay here."

Gladion looked at Moon's mom in surprise. "Moon asked about your situation while you were sleeping at the restaurant. Sweetie, someone your age shouldn't have to be paying rent. I'm not going to tell you to stop whatever jobs you have or pry into your personal business, and I'm certainly not going to try to be your parent. But I think it would be less stress for you. Plus you'd be closer to your sister." When Moon's mom saw Gladion's eyebrows rise, she added, "Your sister is living with Dr. Kukui, who I work for. And it's pretty obvious you two are siblings."

Gladion thought it over. It would be nice to not have to pay rent, and live in a regular home. And yes, Lillie would like being closer to him. "Is Moon okay with this?' He asked.

Moon's mom looked back at him and just smiled. "So is that a yes?"

"I guess." Gladion said slowly.

"Great!" Moon's mom clapped her hands together. "Well, that's settled. Go back and rest, I kept you up for too long. I'll be back around noon-thirty to check on you." She directed Gladion back to the couch. "Sleep, and maybe this fever will finally go down."

Gladion just nodded. He would never admit it out loud, but he really didn't mind being fussed over like this.

"See you later," Moon's mom said as she headed out.

* * *

Around four, the front door opened. Gladion had been up since three, and was feeling much better. He checked his temperature, and it was down to ninety-eight. Gladion glanced over the couch, and saw Moon was there with Lillie at her tail. Seeing that Gladion was awake, Lillie rushed over.

"How are you feeling?" Lillie asked, concern expressed on her face.

"The fever broke." Gladion told her.

Lillie sighed in relief. "That's good to hear."

Moon went to her bedroom to give the two siblings privacy.

"Lillie," Gladion began. "I didn't know you were living with Dr. Kukui. I thought you were living somewhere in Hau'oli City."

Lillie nodded. "I had met Dr. Kukui's wife, and she worked some things out so I could attend the same school as you." She hesitated. "This morning, Moon's mom told me you were going to stay with them?"

"For now. Not forever." Gladion clarified.

"Well, I'll feel better knowing you are someplace safe." Lillie agreed. She got up from her knees. "I got your homework. Here." She placed it on the coffee table. "If you need anything, text me. I'm not too far away. I have some homework to do, and we just got assigned a big project."

Gladion nodded. "Go ahead. Thanks for dropping by."

Lillie gave him a quick hug before leaving.

Gladion glanced in the direction of Moon's bedroom. The door was closed. He got up and headed over to it, and knocked. When there was no response, he knocked again. The door opened a few seconds later. Moon had changed out of her school uniform into a pair of yoga pants and a t shirt. She still had one earbud in her ear and the other was hanging. "Sorry, I had music on, so I didn't hear your knock the first time. What's up?"

What was up? Gladion figured Moon would likely be working on her homework. So why did he come over and interrupt her?

"Oh, are you hungry? We usually don't eat until six, but you can have a snack." Moon said.

Gladion just decided to go with it and nodded. Moon headed to the kitchen, and pulled a box of granola bars from the cupboard. She opened the box and handed Gladion one. "I would still take it easy."

"Hey. Thanks." Gladion said.

Moon looked at him curiously, but nodded. She headed back to her bedroom, keeping the door open halfway.

Gladion headed back to the couch, and decided to be good and look at the homework Lillie brought him. As he munched on the granola bar, he flipped through the assignments. Nothing major, all busy work. He started with algebra, and once that was done, he moved onto Spanish. Just after five, Moon came out of her room, and pulled out a large pot and filled it with water. She set it on the stove and poured some olive oil inside. She then headed back to her room. Around five-thirty, Moon's mom came home. She saw Gladion working on his homework and smiled. "Hello. How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Gladion replied.

Moon's mom dropped off her bag, and headed to the kitchen. She pulled out another pot and a frying pan. She poured some spaghetti sauce inside the pot, and pulled out a package of ground beef. As she waited for the burner to get warm, and headed to Moon's room.

"Moon, honey, can you get the pasta started? The water is almost boiling."

Moon came out, and headed into the kitchen. Grabbing a box of thin spaghetti from the pantry, she opened it, and tossed the uncooked pasta into the boiling water. As Gladion watched them, he felt a bit guilty not doing anything. He stood up and headed over. "Do you need help with anything?"

"Oh, don't worry about it for today. You're still not one hundred percent, I'm sure. Just sit until the food is ready." Moon's mom replied.

What her mom said did not get past Moon. "What do you mean, worry about it today?" Moon asked.

Gladion blinked. _Don't tell me she didn't..._

"Oh, I thought Lillie told you. Gladion will be staying with us from now on." Moon's mom smiled.

Moon stared back at her mother, her face frozen. She then face palmed. "Mother..." Moon said into her hand.

"Yes, Moon?" Her mom continued to fry up the ground beef.

Moon pursed her lips. "It's nothing." She went back to stirring the pasta.

Now Gladion felt incredibly awkward. "Um, I can just go..."

"What are you saying, Gladion?" Moon's mom smiled almost too dazzlingly. "Moon is just not used to sharing, being an only child."

Moon rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.

"What was that, honey?" Moon's mom asked.

"Nothing!" Moon quickly said. She checked the pasta, and seeing it was done, went to the sink to strain it.

"Why don't you sit at the table, Gladion? We'll be eating soon." Moon's mom smiled.

Gladion sat silently. Moon and her mom brought over the food. Moon's mom chatted about various things over dinner. After cleaning up, Moon headed to her room, closing the door behind her. Moon's mom smiled at Gladion. "We'll stop at you place tomorrow after I get home from work to pick up your belongings."

Gladion nodded. He glanced at Moon's bedroom door, which was still closed. He headed over, and knocked. There was no reply. He tried again, and still no reply. He tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. He peeked in to find the bedroom light on, but the room empty. He then noticed the bedroom window wide open. Frowning, he went to the window and peeked out, to find a ladder against the house to his right. Climbing out, he went up the ladder to find Moon sitting on the roof.

He sighed as he sat down nearby. "What is it with you and roofs?"

Moon just sat with her knees pulled up into her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. "I'm sorry about earlier. I actually don't mind if you stay with us." She blushed a bit. "Not that I like you or anything." She quickly added in defensively. She then got a dubious expression on her face. "I just think my mom is up to something." She finished dryly.

"I see." Gladion stared out at the scenery in front of him. He could see some grassy area, and beyond that was open ocean. He glanced at Moon. The wind lifted her hair around her face. Before he knew what he was doing, he reached out one hand, and brushed it back. Moon looked at him in surprise, blushing a bit. He smirked. "Are you sure you don't like me?"

Moon gave him a look. She stood up and walked over to the ladder. As she stepped down to a point where only her head and shoulders were visible, she looked back at Gladion with an annoyed expression. "No, I don't like you. Now get back in, before you get another fever."

Gladion smirked and followed Moon back down. Climbing back in through her bedroom window, he realized he really didn't pay attention to the room he had walked through earlier. It wasn't heavily decorated, minus a few posters up on the wall. The one wall had a bunch of photography equipment scattered along it, and the other walls had her bed and desk. He glanced at the poster of some Japanese athlete. "Who's that?" He asked.

Moon turned red. "Get out, already!" She pushed him forward so he was out of her room and in the hallway. "Good night!" She quickly said before closing the door.

Gladion walked back to the couch and sat down. He couldn't help but feel amused. Even if Moon did hate him, he was going to be able to see her regularly. Plus, he was looking forward to messing around with her.


	6. Kinda Siblings

Gladion woke up, confused for a minute as to where he was. There was sun shining in from the front window and the back of a couch to his right side. He then remembered he was now living at Moon's house. He stretched and reached for his phone from the coffee table to check the time. Seven forty. He knew Moon typically took the city bus to school. He realized he didn't know how long the bus took or the times it arrived. He got up and heard Moon rustling in her bedroom. He headed over and was about to knock when the door opened, and Moon practically bumped into him.

"Oops, sorry." Moon said. Gladion noticed she was already fully dressed in her school uniform. She headed out to the kitchen and grabbed a granola bar. "Are you going to school today?"

"I don't have my uniform." Gladion pointed out.

Moon blinked. "Oh, wait." She disappeared down the hallway, and came back with his clean and neatly folded uniform shirt and pants and a pair of socks. "My mom grabbed these before we left your place and washed them." She gave them to Gladion. "If you are coming, you'd better hurry. The bus arrives in ten minutes."

Gladion sweatdropped a bit at the thought of Moon's mom in his messy bedroom, but quickly shrugged it off. He ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He noticed a small basket with his toiletries from his bedroom sitting there. Now he secretly suspected Moon's mom had plotted some time ago to have him stay here.

"You have five minutes." Moon called out.

Gladion quickly changed and headed into the living room, where Moon was sitting on the couch, texting on her phone. Hearing his footsteps, Moon got up and grabbed her backpack. "Mom, we're leaving." She called.

Gladion secretly liked how Moon used "we."

The two headed out and just made it to the bus in time. It was a bit crowded but they managed to find two seats on opposite ends of the aisle. The bus ride took around fifteen minutes, and it was around ten after eight when they reached Hau'oli City. The two headed to school. Gladion saw Sun waiting outside. Upon seeing Moon and him walking together, he made a face.

"Good morning, Moon," Sun said, pointedly ignoring Gladion.

"Hi, Sun," Moon replied. She glanced at her phone. "I need to run to my locker. See you at lunch?"

Sun nodded. Moon headed past him. As Gladion headed in, he felt Sun's gaze. He turned to face him. "What is it?" He snapped.

Sun jumped a bit. He then narrowed his eyes. "It's weird that you and Moon arrived together. Do you like Moon?"

 _What's with this kid? Is her purposely making it known that he likes Moon or is he completely oblivious as to how obvious he is?_ Gladion just smirked at him before continuing off to class.

* * *

After school, Gladion decided to wait outside the entrance for Moon. He didn't have anything else planned. Around ten minute passed by before he spotted Moon. "Hey-" He started to say, but Moon just walked past him. Gladion followed her wordlessly. They walked to the bus stop, and as they waited for a bus to arrive, Gladion glanced at Moon. It was clear she was in a foul mood. He decided to not say anything until after they got home.

After they stepped inside Moon's house, she kicked off her shoes, and headed to her bedroom, dropping off her bookbag just inside her bedroom. She then went to the kitchen, and started the electric kettle to heat up some water. she stood facing the counter, her head propped on her hands.

Gladion walked over to her. "Did something happen?" He asked.

Moon sighed heavily. "Yes, your sister."

Gladion had an inkling of what happened.

"At lunch, she asked how everything was going with you living here. Of course, everyone else at the lunch table heard. Sun became all sulky..."

 _Nice,_ Gladion thought.

"...Hau just freaked out, and now there are rumors flying around that we are dating." Moon lifted her head. Her expression looked tired.

"But we aren't." Gladion said.

"No, we aren't." Moon agreed.

The tea kettle clicked off, indicating the water was fully heated. Moon went to grab a mug and a box of tea bags. "Do you want tea?" She asked Gladion.

"Sure." Gladion replied.

Moon grabbed another mug, and set up their drinks. "I'm going to work on my homework. I don't have too much though." She glanced to the hall. "By the way, we do have an extra bedroom you can use. It's just filled with some stuff we haven't unpacked yet. But there's a futon in there you can sleep on at least."

"Thank you." Gladion said sincerely.

Moon smiled a bit, and headed to her bedroom.

Gladion decided to be studious and also work on his homework. When he finished, he glanced at his cell phone and saw it was almost five thirty. Moon was still in her room, so he decided to turn on the TV.

"Today on Access Hollywood, socialite Platinum was spotted in Kalos with a mysterious man in tow..."

_Fwp_

"On Eyewitness News, the police arrested a teenager for breaking into a vending machine to steal lemonade. He is believed to be part of Team Skull..."

_Fwp_

"The weather forecast for this week suggests a possible storms on Friday, with a chance of ..."

_Fwp_

"Comedian Pearl was criticized by the administration for making fun of the President's dinner choice..."

_Fwp_

"Hey." Gladion looked up to see Moon standing behind the couch. She was changed into a pink tank and grey joggers. "Nothing exciting on TV?"

Gladion shrugged. "I was bored, so I was flipping through channels. But I never watched much TV growing up, so I was a bit curious."

Moon nodded. "I don't watch much TV myself, but Mom usually does after dinner to relax. Speaking of dinner, can you help me get stuff together?"

Gladion nodded. The two headed to the kitchen. Moon pulled out a tomato and onion from the fridge. "Can you slice these up?"

Gladion stared blankly at the two vegetables and glance around for a knife. Moon grabbed one and a cutting board. "Here."

As as worked on slicing the tomato and onion, he felt a bit embarrassed. He wasn't about to admit that his mother never taught him any cooking basics whatsoever. But that was a long story.

Moon's mom soon came home. "Sorry for running a bit late! A package arrived and we needed to unpack it. What's for dinner?"

Moon was slicing sub rolls. "Subs. Because I'm feeling lazy today."

Moon's mom laughed. "No problem. I like subs."

After eating dinner and cleaning up, Moon's mom turned to Gladion. "So how about we go grab your belongings?"

"Do you need help?" Moon asked.

Gladion shook his head. "I don't have much."

Moon's mom drove Gladion back to the Chinese restaurant and headed upstairs with him to the bedroom with some garbage bags and cardboard boxes. Gladion grabbed his clothes and tossed them into the bags. He didn't have much else in terms of belongings but he filled up two boxes.

"Okay, is that everything?" Moon's mom asked.

Gladion double-checked before nodding yes. As they headed back, Gladion couldn't help but ask, "Why did you offer to take me in?"

Moon's mom looked briefly at him before speaking. "Moon doesn't know this, but to be honest, I was a bit of a trouble maker myself as a teenager - part of a gang back in Kanto. Even got in trouble with the police one time. My parents weren't really around. It wasn't until I met Moon's dad that I had the support to break my bad habits. So I know how important it is to be able to have someone you can rely on."

Gladion sat quietly, deep in thought. He never would have pegged Moon's mom as a former gang member but now it made sense. They soon arrived home, and Moon's mom helped bring his stuff to the extra bedroom. "We'll work on getting these remaining boxes unpacked this weekend." Moon's mom glanced at the one corner where there were still about ten boxes stacked.

"Thanks for everything," Gladion said.

Moon's mom smiled and headed to the couch to watch some TV. Gladion found Moon sitting in her bedroom with her headphones in her ears and playing a 3DS. He knocked on the open door. Moon looked at him and waved him in. "What are you up to?"

Moon shrugged as she removed her earbuds from her ears. "Just playing my 3DS, since I haven't really touched it since moving to Alola."

"Can I watch?" Gladion asked, despite himself. He didn't have a 3DS ever, and was curious.

"Sure." Gladion sat down on the floor next to her. "I was playing Mario." Suddenly, Moon looked like she had an idea. "Do you want to try?"

Gladion smirked. "I'll probably suck."

"Good, that will be better amusement than me playing." Moon countered.

Gladion rolled his eyes. Moon started a new save file for him. "So use the joy pad to move, the A button is for jumping, the B button is to run faster." She explained to him.

Gladion started the first level, and immediately accidentally ran straight into a Goomba, dying. Moon coughed. "Um, try again."

The next time, Gladion managed to not run straight into a Goomba, but ended up falling into a hole. Moon looked like she was trying hard not to laugh. Gladion glared at her, and started the level again. He managed to get through the level successfully, and started level two. However, he accidentally kicked a Koopa shell into a pipe, causing it to bounce back and kill him.

Moon bent over, trying to muffle her laughing. Her shoulders were shaking.

"Are you seriously laughing at me?" Gladion asked dryly. He moved her shoulder so he could see her face.

Moon had tears in the corners of her eyes and her cheeks blushed pink. "I'm so sorry. I'm really trying hard not to."

Gladion sighed, and let Moon recover. Once she was finished laughing, she sat back up. "I'm sure you'll get better with practice."

"Yeah..." Gladion muttered. Suddenly, he felt Moon's hand move her hair away from his face. "I'm sure your haircut doesn't help either, only being able to see out of one eye."

Gladion's cheeks tinted pink. He brushed Moon's hand away. "Whatever."

Moon giggled. She then stood up. "I'm going to get ready for bed. But I had fun tonight." She smiled at him. "I think I like having you here."

Gladion tried hard not to blush.

"It's like having a brother," Moon continued. "Mom doesn't have any extended family and Dad's family was all in Unova, so we were pretty small." She seemed amused with the thought.

Gladion also stood up. "Well, I guess if you think of me as a brother, you won't mind if I give you good night hugs." Before Moon could say anything, Gladion had her in his arms, holding her there for a minute. When he let go, he noted Moon's face was bright red. He smirked. "Good night." He said before walking out of her room.


	7. Not Now

On Saturday, Gladion woke up with the sun shining through the window. He was going to have to get blinds or curtains. Yawning, he picked up his cell phone to check the time. It was already eleven. He had to be in Paniola Town for some Team Skull work at one. He groaned and forced himself out of bed.

Grabbing a change of clothes, he headed out of his bedroom. The house was eerily quiet. Heading to the bathroom, he took a quick shower and got ready for the day. As he was packing his bag, he heard the front door unlock and open. He headed out to see who it was.

Moon's mom was entering with bags of groceries in her arms. Gladion headed over to grab a bag.

"Thank you, sweetie." Moon's mom smiled as she headed to the kitchen. "I wasn't sure if you were up yet or not."

"Where's Moon?" Gladion asked.

"Oh, she took a ferry to Malie City earlier this morning. She has a big history project to work on, and Malie City's library is best known for their history collection."

Now that he thought of it, he remembered Lillie also mentioning some big project. He stood awkwardly, as Moon's mom put away the groceries. "Do you mind if I eat something before heading out?"

"Of course not!" Moon's mom replied. "Feel free to make yourself something."

Gladion really didn't know how to "make" himself something other than a sandwich, so he grabbed a roll and the bags of cold cuts, and did just that. As he ate, he wondered if Lillie was with Moon. He wasn't sure if they were in the same class, but likely all the students were assigned the same project. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and texted Lillie, asking what she was up to. A few minutes later, he got a message back, saying she was in Malie City with Moon, Sun and Hau, working on their projects.

Gladion felt a vein pop upon seeing that Moon was with Sun, even though Lillie and Hau were also there. At the same time, he knew it couldn't be helped that he was in a different grade than the rest of them. He then remembered starting in the fall, he would begin high school and would be in an entirely different school than them. That put him in a bad mood he didn't quite know the reason why that still was obvious when he went to meet Plumeria outside of Paniola Town.

"Whoa, brat, why the murderous glare?" Plumeria remarked.

"It's nothing," Gladion muttered.

Plumeria shrugged. "Okay, well, we got you a job helping milk the cows at Paniola Ranch. They're apparently short on help, and their cows really need to be milked, so yeah. As usual, when you are done, text me, and that's when you'll hand over half your earnings."

Gladion stared at Plumeria. "You couldn't have told me ahead of time that I would be doing farm work?"

Plumeria gave Gladion a look. "Hey, just be thankful we are able to find you these jobs. Most fourteen year olds don't even work." She tossed her hair over her shoulder before sauntering away.

Gladion sighed and headed to the ranch. It was pretty easy to find, considering the ranch was most of the town. As he milked the cows, he thought things over. It was true that he didn't have to work as much anymore now that he didn't have rent to worry about. But he still needed money for clothes and food and other necessities - there was no way he was going to rely on Moon's mom for that stuff. Plus some of his earnings he gave to Lillie as well.

Six hours later, he was done helping out on the ranch. He got squirted a few times and slapped in the face by a tail once. He also got dragged into cleaning out their stalls and hauling fresh hay. Gladion planned on taking a shower as soon as he got home, as he smelled of...farm. Not exactly a smell he liked in particular. After getting his pay, he headed to the main area of Paniola Town, where Plumeria was waiting for him.

"Here." He give half of the money to her.

She counted it, then nodded. "Good work. We don't have anything else off hand for you, so I hope you aren't burning through your cash. One of us will text you when something comes up."

Gladion dared not to say his living situation changed. He wasn't about to get Moon or her mom involved, even if Moon's mom was a former gang member.

Gladion headed back home, feeling absolutely dirty and tired. It was at least a thirty minute walk back. It was dark out by the time he reached the house. Using the key Moon's mom gave him, he went in and saw Moon sitting on the couch, browsing on her phone. Upon hearing the door open, she looked up. Her eyes widened at seeing Gladion's state. "What were you doing today that you look like you rolled in a haystack?" She asked.

"You aren't too far off regarding hay," Gladion replied dryly. "I'm going to take a shower."

Moon nodded.

Gladion headed to his room to grab clothes, which he found a pile of them already washed and folded in a laundry basket. He felt a bit bad that Moon's mom or Moon had done his laundry, but he needed to be clean. Grabbing a tee, a pair of worn sweatpants, and boxers, he headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

After that was done and he was in clean, good smelling clothes, Gladion felt much better. His stomach also growled, and he realized it was over eight hours since he ate anything. Dropping his dirty clothes in a hamper in his bedroom, he headed to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?" Moon asked, walking into the kitchen. "Mom's out tonight for some event, so I was thinking of ordering pizza. I was waiting for you to come home, since I don't know what kind you like."

"Anything is fine." Gladion replied.

A slow smile formed on Moon's face. "Okay then. Anchovies and spinach it is!" She began to call the pizzeria.

"No! Not that!" Gladion attempted to grab her cell phone away, and just missed, knocking the phone out of Moon's hand and onto the floor. In his haste, Gladion slid on the kitchen floor, and accidentally fell towards Moon. He reached out to stop himself from entirely crashing into her, but found himself pinning her between himself and the counter. Moon looked up at him with wide eyes, a blush spreading on her cheeks at their situation. Gladion couldn't help but blush as well.

"Hello?" Moon's phone said. "Is anyone there?"

Gladion quickly let go of the counter and stepped back while Moon bent down to pick up her phone. "Sorry about that!" Moon apologized. "I accidentally dropped my phone." She paused, listening to the other end. "Yes, I'd like to place an order for two large pizzas for delivery. The Hau'oli Outskirts, number two hundred. Um, standard crust is fine. Yes, the usual marinara sauce and cheese on both. Other toppings?" She glanced at Gladion.

"Pineapple and chicken," He said.

"Pineapple and chicken on one, and feta cheese, jalapeno peppers and onion on the other." Moon said. Gladion raised an eyebrow at her choice of toppings for the second pizza. "Okay, twenty minutes? Sounds good. I'll see you then." Moon hung up the phone. She then inspected it for any damage. Seeing it was okay, she looked at Gladion. "If it was seriously damaged in any way, you would have been paying for a new phone."

"Not my fault that you decided to be ridiculous." Gladion smirked at her.

"Oh, I'm not allowed to be funny?" Moon countered. She placed her hands on her hips, but had a smile she was trying to suppress on her face.

Gladion brushed a bit of hair that had fallen in front of Moon's face to the side. "No, you can't, because I said so."

Moon blushed and looked away. They stood in the kitchen awkwardly for a few minutes, before Moon spoke up. "So you had a rough day?" She finally broke the silence.

"Rough doesn't even cover it." Gladion sighed. "You?"

"Research for most of the day." Moon made a face. "But I got most of my report done. I just need to recheck some references and add a bit more to the intro and ending."

That's right. Moon was with Sun today. Gladion decided to play dumb. "Were you by yourself all day?"

Moon went to the cupboard to grab some plates and glasses. "No, your sister, Sun and Hau were there too. But we all had slightly different topics, so we were all over in different parts of the library."

"Oh." Gladion didn't know what to say. He then remembered he had money from today. "I'll pay for the pizza." Moon started to protest, but he put his index finger on her mouth to shut her up. Moon blushed. When Gladion removed his finger, she sighed. "Okay."

He smirked, and went to his room to grab some money. As he walked out of his bedroom, the doorbell rang. Gladion went to answer the door.

"Pizza for Moon?" A scrawny teenager was holding two pizzas.

"Yeah." Gladion replied.

"The total is twenty-two dollars."

Gladion handed him twenty-five and took the pizzas. He headed back to the kitchen, where Moon was pouring some water into the glasses she pulled out before. He set down the pizzas on the counter and opened the lids. He grabbed three slices of the pineapple and chicken pizza. Moon grabbed a slice of the feta and pepper pizza and one of the pineapple and chicken.

"Are you sure you don't want to try one of the other?" Moon asked.

"I don't like spicy." Gladion replied.

Moon shrugged. "Do you want to watch a TV show or movie or something?"

"Sure." They headed to the couch. Moon turned on the TV and put on Netflix. "What do you want to watch?"

Gladion shrugged. "I don't care."

Moon flipped through the genres as she munched on her pizza. "Hmm...Do you have a type you like?"

Gladion yawned. Moon glanced at him. "Or maybe no movie?"

Gladion rubbed his eye. "Sorry, I had a long day."

"It's okay." Moon stood up, picking up her empty plate. "Are you done?" She asked, pointing to the empty plate.

Gladion nodded. Moon took the used plates to the kitchen and stuck them in the dishwasher. She walked back to the couch to find Gladion asleep. Moon smiled, and reached for the throw, gently putting it on Gladion. She walked quietly to her room and gently shut the door behind her.

* * *

Gladion awoke to find himself laying on the couch. He frowned, confused as to why he was there before remembering last night. His first thought was he was a terrible housemate. He reached for his cell but then realized he needed to charge it up yesterday night. He contemplated getting up to retrieve his charger, but decided no one important was going to try to reach him in the next hour or so.

He snuggled under the throw, facing the back of the couch. He was fairly sore and was in no rush to get off the couch. Some time passed before he heard quiet footsteps make their way to the kitchen. Gladion forced himself get up enough to peek above the couch and saw Moon looking into the fridge. She still had on what Gladion presumed were her night clothes. He tried not to stare but the short boxers Moon was wearing made it difficult.

Moon shut the fridge door and turned around to see Gladion watching her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"

"Uh, no." Gladion coughed. "I was already up. What time is it? My cell is dead."

Moon munched on an apple. "One."

Gladion blinked. Geez, he had slept in late. "What are you doing lazing around?" He asked Moon.

Moon shrugged. "I'm not lazing around. I was working on my report this morning. There's nothing wrong with working in my own bedroom in my PJs."

That reminded Gladion he still had his own homework to finish. He had started it Friday but still had about half to finish. He groaned, as he was definitely not in the mood to do it. Moon glanced curiously at him.

Meanwhile in Iki Town, Hau was feeling bored at his house. Being an only child could be lonesome at times. He knew Sun had some soccer related practice or whatever today, and a few of his other friends had family events they were attending. He texted Moon to see what she was up to, but she wasn't replying. So he decided to walk to the Hau'oli Outskirts and see if Moon and Lillie were around. He figured he could use the walk anyway.

On the way, he picked up some malasadas at the local bakery. They weren't as good as the ones in Hau'oli City, but fair enough. As he traveled down hill, he realized he wasn't quite looking forward to the walk back uphill and probably should have used his bike. He had actually not been to Moon's house before, and was sort of curious as to what it was like. As he walked, he hummed Daft Punk's Get Lucky since he still had no idea what they said in the song, and Hau wasn't big on learning lyrics. As he stepped on the porch of what he thought was Moon's house, he rang the doorbell. If he had the wrong one, he'd just ask whoever answered which house was Moon's.

A minute passed by before the door opened. Hau found himself facing Gladion wearing surprisingly almost normal clothes. Well, he still had on all his edgy jewelry, but still.

"Is Moon around?" Hau asked.

Gladion gave him a look. "Why didn't you text her first to ask if she was around?"

Hau was confused. "So she isn't around?"

"Hi Hau!" Moon's voice came.

Hau looked past Gladion but didn't see Moon. "Huh? Moon, where are you?"

"Here!" Her voice now clearly came from behind. Hau turned around to see Moon's face upside down peeking from the roof.

"Geez!" Hau jumped. "What are you doing on the roof, Moon?"

"I was taking pictures!" Moon grinned, clearly amused by Hau's reaction.

"That's dangerous!" Hau yelled.

Gladion sighed. "I'm heading back inside to finish my homework." He closed the door behind him.

Hau looked back at the closed door before turning his attention back to Moon. He walked closer to her. "Hey, so I still can't believe Gladion is living here with you, but I guess that was proof as any." Hau said quietly. "Is it really okay though?"

"Let me get down." Moon interrupted him. "There's a ladder on the side of the house. Be with you in a minute."

Hau waited and decided to eat a malasada in the meantime. He was halfway through one when Moon came around from the side of the house to join him on the porch. The two sat down on the steps.

"Malasada?" Hau asked, offering the box.

"Sure! Thanks." Moon took one. "In regards to your earlier question, it's been fine. I mean, it doesn't feel any different from when my one boy cousin from Unova visited us and stayed for a few weeks. I guess he kinda just feels like some distant relative that's close to my age?" Moon took a bite of her treat.

"Is that so?" Hau commented. He looked surprised. "Well, that's good though. Why was Gladion inside the house though while you were on the roof?"

"He had homework so I was giving him some quiet, I guess. We don't have a desk set up in the bedroom he's using, so he either works on the coffee table or the kitchen table."

"Hmm." Hau and Moon ate their malasadas while watching the scenery in front of them. Some time passed by, before Moon spoke up.

"So did you randomly just decide to drop by?" She asked.

Hau made a face. "I did text you, but you didn't reply. I was bored."

"Ah. I'm sorry. I left my cell phone in the house." Moon apologized. "Are you almost done with the report?"

Hau laughed. "I'm getting there. I'm a procrastinator when it comes to bigger assignments like this, so I'll probably be up late Wednesday night finishing it."

"Hau," Moon whined. "That's bad."

Hau shrugged. "I can't help it."

The front door opened, and the two turned around to see Gladion. "What are you two doing?" He asked.

"Just talking and eating malasadas. Want one?" Hau asked.

Gladion observed the two. Hau was sitting next to Moon on the steps but not overly close. He had on a plain tee long athletic shorts and sandals. It was as plain as day these two were simply good friends. This Hau seemed like a goofball, but also pretty much an open book.

"Sure." Gladion took one.

"Taking a break?" Moon asked.

"No, I'm done." Gladion replied after swallowing.

"Hey, cool! How about we visit Dr. Kukui and see if Lillie is around? Then maybe we could do something!" Hau grinned.

And now the open book clearly stated he had a thing for Lillie.

"No." Gladion said firmly.

"Awww, why not?" Hau asked.

No way was this goofball going to be in a relationship with his little sister. "Lillie's probably freaking out over her project or whatever it is. She doesn't deal with pressure all that well. We'd cause more problems than needed."

Hau's eyebrows knitted. "How would you know that?"

Moon coughed. "Gladion is Lillie's brother."

"Whaaaat?" Hau shouted. He looked closer at Gladion again. "Seriously?"

Gladion rolled his eyes. "Do you need a DNA test done?"

"Uh, no. I am just surprised." Hau looked shocked. "No wonder Lillie knew about you living with Moon. Makes sense now."

"Did you still want to do something?" Moon asked Hau.

Hau frowned, deep in thought. He then looked like he had an idea. "Hey, have you visited Ten Carat Hill yet? It's a pretty cool cave to explore. It's just west of Dr. Kukui's lab."

Moon's face froze for a second. She then shook her head. "Um, maybe another time? We don't have any flashlights yet. That's something Mom has been meaning to buy."

"That stinks. Yeah, another time then." Hau agreed.

Gladion noted that Moon looked a bit relieved.

Hau sighed. "I'm bored! There must be something we could do."

Moon made a face. "It's quiet out here, but there also isn't much to do here like in Hau'oli City."

"I know." Hau complained. "It's the same way in Iki Town." He glanced at his phone. "It's almost five anyway. Gramps is probably expecting me home soon for dinner. It was still fun to see you guys. I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school." Hau stood up and waved before running off.

Moon and Gladion headed back inside the house. Moon headed to her bedroom and grabbed her phone and headphones and started to listen to music.

"Hey." Gladion pulled one ear bud out. "Why'd you freak out earlier over the cave suggestion."

Moon looked at him. "It's stupid. I one time got semi trapped in a cave, so I get a bit freaked out still."

Gladion frowned. "That's not stupid."

"It is to me."

"What are you listening to anyway?" Gladion stuck the loose earbud in his ear. Post-grunge music was playing. His eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Don't judge me. I had my reasons for not simply listening to the Taylor Swifts of the world." Moon blushed.

Gladion remembered what Moon's mom said about her and her father. "No, it's fine." The two stood listening to the music play.

"Hey, Gladion?"

"Hmm?"

"What is Team Skull like?"

Gladion looked at Moon. "Why are you asking?"

Moon looked away. "I was just wondering."

Gladion sighed. "They don't mean to be bad. Their leader, Guzma, takes in kids who come from bad homes and tries to give them a sense of a home they can return to that they trust."

Moon was quiet as she absorbed what Gladion told her. Gladion expected her to ask whether he came from a troubled home too.

Instead, Moon turned towards him and reached up to gently pull out the earbud from Gladion's ear. "Mom said she was going to be home around six. Are you okay with ordering Chinese take out?" She winked.

Gladion was caught off guard by the sudden change in direction the conversation went. He couldn't help but blurt, "Why didn't you ask?"

Moon looked at him. "I don't think it's my place to ask personal questions. If someone wants to talk about it, they will on their own terms. I respect that some of us have things we don't want to have to explain." She then smiled brightly. "So chicken lo mein?"

Gladion stared back at Moon. Despite her outer typical teen appearance, she was surprisingly mature at times with her view of the world. He then remembered hearing one time how only children who grow up around a lot of adults tend to come to terms with the real world quicker than others. He nodded. "Sure. And maybe beef mushroom?"

"Okay! Mom will pick up the order. I'll let her know." She headed out into the living room as she made her calls.

Gladion joined her shortly. He stared at her back as he felt admiration for Moon. He had dismissed her at first upon seeing her on the roof the first time as a cute albeit airheaded girl. It was amusing to tease her in a flirtatious manner but he had no actual true intentions behind any of it. But getting to know her more had started to change his view of her. At first, he didn't understand why Sun grated on him so much until he interacted with Hau today. Gladion didn't like the answer he came up with. He didn't need distractions. Not until after he accomplished what he set out to do when he ran away from home two years ago.

But whether he wanted to admit it or not, he had fallen in love with her.


	8. A Year "Bolder"

"I can't believe finals are already coming up!" Hau complained. "I hate studying."

"But after finals are done, that means summer vacation for two months." Sun argued.

Hau sighed. "I know that. But why can't we have finals say...a month before the school year ends? Or maybe not have finals at all?"

Hau, Sun and Moon were chatting after school. It was mid May, and the school year was going ending in a two weeks. Finals began next week.

"Well, it's nice we get most of the summer off." Moon pointed out. "The school schedule is different in Kanto."

"Really? How so?" Sun asked.

"Well, the school year typically starts in April. The we have school til late July, get a little over a month off for summer, then have school til late December, get about a week or so off, then go back in early January til late March." Moon explained.

"Hmm, it would feel weird to start school in April instead of September." Hau remarked.

Moon laughed. "Well, its weird for me to have to adjust to the school year in Alola."

"Should we do group study sessions?" Sun asked.

"Um, actually I study better on my own." Moon said sheepishly.

"No problem, Moon!" Hau grabbed Sun and put his arm over his friend's shoulder. "Sun and I still make a great study pair!"

Moon smiled fondly at her friends. They truly had made her move to Alola great. She couldn't have asked to meet better people.

She waved goodbye as she headed to her bus stop. She didn't see Gladion, but it wasn't as if they always took the buses at the same time. After getting off at her stop, Moon headed inside her house. Gladion was pouring himself a glass of juice and still wearing his uniform.

"Hey." He said simply.

"Hi." Moon kicked off her shoes and headed to her bedroom to drop off her bookbag. She quickly changed out of her uniform, and headed back out.

"What are you up to?" Gladion asked her. He tried not to stare at the slim tank top Moon was wearing. If he didn't know how naive Moon could be at times, he would have concluded she was doing it on purpose.

Moon shrugged. "I guess I'll study a bit tonight. You?"

"Same." Gladion looked annoyed. "We have finals through Thursday, but Team Skull has a job for me Wednesday night. I told them many times my exam schedule. But Plumeria isn't budging on the matter."

"Next Wednesday you have a job?" Moon repeated. She felt her disappointment rise.

"Yeah, it's stupid." Gladion muttered. He was absolutely not thrilled about the situation one bit.

"Oh." Moon said simply. "Well, if you get your studying done ahead of time, you should be fine." _Yes, don't be so self-centered, Moon,_ she chided herself in her head.

"I guess."

"Well, um, yeah, I'm going to study," Moon said, backing towards her bedroom. She quickly closed the door behind her.

Inside her bedroom, Moon silently admonished herself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! I hope he didn't pick up I was acting strange._ Moon sighed. _Actually, given exam week, it's probably better to not say anything at all. I'll be sure to let Mom know as well._

Thankfully, for Moon, Gladion equated her behavior to nerves about exam week. He rinsed out his glass before sticking it the dishwasher and then headed to his room to study.

* * *

Next Wednesday, Gladion headed straight to his Team Skull job after exams, taking a change of clothes with him. They apparently found some easy job where he just had to chuck these sea cucumbers that washed onto the shore back into the ocean. Apparently, it was fairly simple and paid two hundred for a complete job. And he could do it every Wednesday.

After the manager showed him a picture of what the sea cucumbers looked like, Gladion went to work. Sure enough, it only took him a couple of hours to find all of them and toss them back into the ocean. They were disgusting and looked like pieces of...well, you know, but it was one of the easiest jobs he had done so far. After getting his pay, Gladion met with Plumeria to give her the usual half and then grabbed the ferry to get back home to do some last minute studying. It was around seven when he got home. After opening the door, he found Moon and her Mom sitting at the kitchen table eating cake.

"Gladion!" Moon squeaked, nearly choking on her food. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. After swallowing, she said, "I thought it would be later before you got home."

"The job was pretty easy. What's with the cake?" Gladion asked as he walked closer. He now noticed a bouquet of flowers and a few small wrapped presents on the table.

"Its not everyday your daughter becomes a teenager!" Moon's mom smiled. "Moon insisted on no celebration today with exams and all, but who doesn't want cake and presents on their birthday?"

Gladion stared at Moon. She could swear the temperature in the house dropped a few degrees and felt a shiver as Gladion's face turned angry. In fact, his face reminded her of the death god itself. "It's your birthday today?" He demanded.

"Um...yeah," Moon reluctantly admitted.

Moon's mom looked between the two. "Well, I have some reading to do. Feel free to help yourself to some cake, Gladion." She headed off to her bedroom.

 _Thanks, Mom._ Moon thought dryly. She still felt a killer aura emanating from Gladion. She didn't dare look at him and instead stared at her half-eaten cake.

"And you planned on telling me when?" He asked, fury seething in his voice.

"Um...tomorrow? After exams were over." Moon meekly replied.

"Who else knew?"

"No one else but Mom."

After a few minutes of silence, Moon felt the killer aura receding. She glanced at Gladion, who still looked pissed, but less so.

He sighed and pulled out a chair to sit down. "You should have mentioned something."

"I didn't want it to be a distraction, especially during exam week." Moon explained sheepishly. "In my experience, we all get pretty freaked out come exam time, and well, it was never much of an issue back in Kanto since the school year was different, but..." Moon's voice trailed off as Gladion's face became scary again.

"After school. We're going to celebrate. Tomorrow." Gladion said in a voice there was no saying no to. He stood up. "I'm going to study. And Happy Birthday." He walked off to his bedroom, closing the door loudly behind him.

Moon didn't quite know whether to be happy or scared for her life.

* * *

The next day after exams were over, Moon headed to the front entrance of the school. Gladion had left earlier than she did this morning, but left a note telling her to just wait at the entrance after she was done. Moon realized they really should just exchange cell phone numbers at this point.

She leaned against the rail, watching the other students. Everyone was clearly happy that exams were now over, and next week was only a half week spent on finishing up little things here and there. She sighed, wondering what the summer would bring. As she waited, she browsed the internet, reading photography tips.

Moon felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Gladion standing there. Before Moon could react, he thrust a small wrapped box into her hand. "Your present," he said.

Moon blinked and looked down at the small box in her hand. When had Gladion managed to find time to get her something? Still, this made Moon incredibly happy, more so than she realized it would. She glanced back up at Gladion, beaming. "Thank you. May I open it?"

Gladion looked like he was blushing a bit but nodded. "Yeah." He said gruffly.

Moon carefully unwrapped the box, stuffing the wrapping paper in her blazer pocket. She opened the lid of the box to find a simple teardrop shaped pale blue crystal on a silver chain. The crystal was about three-fourths an inch tall and round. Moon stared at it. It was really pretty despite its simplicity. "Wow," She breathed. "This is really pretty. Thank you!" She removed her tie and loosened her top button on her shirt before unhooking the chain to put the necklace on. Fixing her hair, she smiled at Gladion. "What do you think?"

He glanced at her. Moon actually looked pretty darn good with her uniform not as prim and proper. "Looks good." He then smirked. "It wasn't cheap either."

For some reason, Moon felt like Gladion looked like a black market marriage broker. "Um, I'll definitely wear it every day." She sputtered.

"Good." Gladion's face relaxed a bit. "Let's go."

"Huh?" Moon was confused. "Go where?"

"C'mon." Gladion reached for her hand and led her to the street heading deeper into Hau'oli City.

They walked a block before reaching a burger and salad joint. They entered, and Gladion told the hostess who they were. She nodded. "They others are already here."

Gladion let go of Moon's hand before heading past the hostess. Moon followed. After passing some tables, Moon soon spotted Hau, Sun and Lillie at a round corner booth in the back.

"Happy Birthday!" They said loudly when Gladion and Moon reached the table.

Moon glanced at Gladion. "You arranged this?"

"No, I did." Lillie announced. "He had texted me last night that yesterday was your birthday."

"Moon, you should have told us!" Hau whined. "We could have at least wished you happy birthday on your birthday and brought a cake to school yesterday."

Moon bowed her head in apology. "Okay, I promise to not do it again."

"Good!" Hau looked pleased. "Now onto the celebration!"

Moon began to head to the seat entrance, when Gladion stopped her. "I can go first."

"Gladion, Moon should be closer to all of us, not be on the very outside of the booth. Let her in first." Lillie argued.

Gladion sighed. "Okay."

Moon was semi-amused that Gladion caved so easily to his sister. She scooted into the booth, sitting next to Sun. Gladion followed her.

After they placed their orders with the waitress, Hau whipped out an envelope. "My present to the birthday girl."

Moon smiled. "Thanks, Hau." She opened it to find a gift certificate for malasadas. She giggled. "Are you sure there are no ulterior motives with this present, Hau?"

"Of course not. What kind of person do you think I am?" Hau made a displeased face before winking.

Moon laughed. "Okay, okay, I'll let you know when I go."

"Here." Lillie handed her a small bag. "I hope you like it. I'm not good at picking out presents for other people."

Moon opened the bag to find a floral cosmetic bag. "Thank you! It will definitely be used." She smiled at Lillie.

"Here is mine." Sun handed Moon an envelope. She opened it to find a simply sheet a paper that had an IOU at the top. "I'm sorry I didn't have much time to prepare since Hau only told me this morning, despite knowing since last night." Sun eyed Hau. "But I thought we could go to a movie you would like to see at some point now that it's summer anyway."

Moon shook her head. "No, that's a great gift. I'm sure there's some movie we can go see. I'll have to see what's in theaters now or coming out soon. Thank you."

Unbeknowst to Moon as she tucked her gifts into her bag, Sun smirked at Gladion, and Gladion glared back at Sun. The waitress brought out the appetizer of onion rings, and they munched on them as they waited for their meals.

"Gladion, you didn't get Moon a gift?" Hau commented between onion rings.

Sun also looked curious. Lillie looked at the two with interest.

"Ah, no, he already gave it to me before we got here." Moon reached for the necklace and lifted it so everyone could see.

"Wow, nice taste, big brother," Lillie commented. She had an inkling her brother was sweet on Moon, though there is no way he'd ever admit it. But that's why she was super-thrilled when Moon's mom had brought up Gladion living with them over a month ago. She secretly hoped it would create some interesting situations and push their relationship along. With this gift, Gladion was definitely showing off. "Is that a Swarovski?"

"Huh? A Swar-what?" Hau looked confused. "How do you spell it?"

"S-W-A-R-O-V-S-K-I," Lillie told him.

Sun had already pulled out his phone, and was searching on Google. His face paled a bit. Now, Gladion was smirking.

"It's a European company that specializes in cut glass and crystal production, and crystal jewelry is one product they are known for." Lillie explained.

"Sounds fancy." Hau remarked.

"It has its merits." Lillie commented.

Moon shrugged. She never heard of the company before, but she did like the necklace, regardless of the brand. "It's a pretty necklace. Swarovski or not, it's a nice present."

Lillie nodded in approval. Gladion couldn't help but note triumphantly that Sun looked a bit dejected.

"Here is your food." The waitress announced, holding a tray.

After finishing their meals, the waitress came back out. "I heard it's someone's birthday?" She asked.

"Oh, god." Moon hid her face in her hands, turning red.

Two more waiters came out, and one was carrying a cake. He set it down.

"Hey, everyone, we have a birthday today. Let's wish her a happy birthday!" The waitress and waiters launched into a clapped filled birthday song.

"Happy, happy birthday! This song is just for you! So we wish you a happy birthday, may all your wishes come true!"

Hau was grinning. Lillie looked amused. When it was over, Moon glared at Hau. "This is your doing."

"Hey! How did you know it was me?" Hau asked.

"An inkling," Moon replied dryly.

After they were finished their cake and paid, they headed out of the restaurant. "Woo! What a great day! Exams are over, and we got to celebrate Moon's birthday!" Hau exclaimed. "Want to do something else?"

Sun glanced at his phone. "I would love to but I promised my parents I would help them out with something at home, and I also have practice at six thirty tomorrow morning."

"Ugh." Hau made a face. "And this is why I quit soccer."

Lillie also shook her head. "I should be heading home too." She glanced at Moon. "I'm sorry."

"Blah. Well, I guess the party is over. Happy Birthday, Moon!" Hau grinned.

"Yes, Happy Birthday!" Lillie and Sun chimed in. The three headed off their separate ways.

Gladion glanced at Moon. "Do you still want to do something?"

For some reason, Moon couldn't help but think that Gladion looked really hot at that moment. She felt confused and embarrassed for thinking such things. She needed a distraction. "I-" Moon began.

"Yo, yo! It's Gladion!" A voice came. They turned around to see a couple of Team Skull members approaching them. Moon smiled wryly and silently thanked the gods for the distraction.

"Phew, look at those preppy school uniforms. Those are probably the best clothes you own, Gladion." One commented.

The other was looking at Moon. "Is this your girlfriend, Gladion?"

Gladion glared at them. "Leave us alone."

"Whoa, Gladion is being all protective. Must be his girlfriend." The first one said.

Moon glared at them. Okay, she took back her thanks. God, they were annoying. "I'm not his girlfriend. We're just friends."

"Ooh, this girl also has a sharp tongue. Interested in joining Team Skull?"

"No." Both Gladion and Moon spoke at the same time.

"C'mon," Gladion muttered, taking Moon's hand and leading her away. They headed to Hau'oli Beach and found a quiet area.

Moon glanced at Gladion. He looked stressed and irritated. She really wanted to know what reason he had for joining Team Skull, but felt like it was prying into his personal business. At the same time, she couldn't help but try to come up with reasons why. Gladion never mentioned his parents. Maybe they had passed away, and he and Lillie were orphans?

"Thank you again for the necklace. It's beautiful," Moon said, hoping to divert his thoughts.

Gladion continued to stare out at the ocean. His face looked like it relaxed. "Glad you like it."

Moon looked at him. She wasn't sure what possessed her, but she stood on her tip toes to give Gladion a harmless kiss on his cheek. However at that moment, Gladion turned his head to look at her, and Moon found her lips on his lips instead.

Gladion was not expecting Moon's face to be near him when he turned his head. He expected Moon to immediately pull away, but instead she didn't move back.

Moon didn't expect this to happen. Her heart sped up. But the touch of Gladion's lips on hers sent a pleasant tingle through her body. Her lips brushed across his, and he could smell a floral perfume that he never noticed before. Moon lightly traced her fingertips behind his neck as she intensified the kiss.

Gladion wasn't sure quite how to react, but he didn't hate the fact that Moon was kissing him. He felt his heart skip a beat as her soft lips gently prodded his. Just as he was about to respond, Moon pulled back. She silently chided herself for letting her irrational self win for that brief moment. However, Gladion looked quite flustered. She observed him for a moment before smiling smugly. "Your face is quite red."

Gladion immediately felt his cheeks. They did feel warm. "What was that about?"

"Payback." That was a lie, but a reasonable excuse. She made a shooting gesture with her hand.

"Huh?"

"For when you kissed me out of the blue."

"That was months ago!" Gladion exclaimed.

 _He is arguing like a little kid._ Moon was amused. Outwardly, she shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm a Taurus. I don't forget and forgive easily."

Gladion stared at Moon. He has assumed she was an innocent, _inexperienced_ girl, but that kiss was actually really...good. It made it very hard for his teenage brain to not wonder what a make-out session would be like. He then face-palmed. _God, I'm becoming a perv._

Moon smiled at him, a hint of mischievousness coloring her features. "We should be getting back home." She liked teasing him in this way. "And it's only a kiss. Don't take it the wrong way."

Gladion looked back up. Was Moon flirting with him, or was she being sarcastic?

Meanwhile, Moon was enjoying being bolder than usual. It was a lot of fun, and watching Gladion's reactions were priceless. It gave her confidence that no one actually flirted with him before, and she was pleased she was the first. Not that she had a ton of experience flirting, but she did have multiple guy friends back in Pallet Town, so she saw what others girls did that made them flustered. On the other hand, she was trying her hardest not to laugh out loud.

When he apparently recovered, Gladion smirked at her. No way was he going to let Moon get the upper hand. "If you aren't careful, people will really think we are dating."

"Hmm, an innocent Japanese maiden with Mr. Edgelord. That would be quite the story," Moon said coyly.

"What did you call me?"

Moon just smiled, and turned around to head back to the street.

"Hey!" Gladion shouted, following her. "And what was that about a maiden?"

Meanwhile, behind some rocks, Lillie and Hau watched as the two walked away.

"See? I told you, Hau! Those two belong together." Lillie had secretly grabbed Hau when they had separated earlier and followed Moon and Gladion to the beach. She could tell that Sun had a thing for Moon during dinner, and she needed to recruit Hau on her side to make sure no one got in between them.

Hau looked doubtful. "I guess? I don't quite get it."

Lillie let out a squeal. "That was just so romantic!"

Hau raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to stalk your brother's love life?"

Lillie frowned. "No, of course not. But I will do what I can to push them together."

Hau felt torn. He had an inkling Sun liked Moon, and Sun was his best friend. But the girl he liked was pushing her brother towards Moon. And it did seem like Moon was kind of flirting with Gladion, and he never saw her do that with any guy. He let out a heavy sigh, unsure who to side with. Glancing at his phone, he decided to make an excuse to get away so he could think it over, even though he was dying on the inside that he was here, sitting next to the girl he liked.

"Um, I have a message from Gramps that he needs something." Hau laughed nervously, placing a hand behind his head. "We can talk more another day?"

Lillie pouted. She was ridiculously cute when she pouted, and Hau almost faltered. "Okay..." Lillie agreed. She stood up. "I guess I'll see you Monday."

* * *

On the bus ride home, Gladion snuck glances at Moon, who sat across from him. The sun was starting to get lower in the sky, casting a yellow-orange glow. Moon was looking to the side. He didn't know what she was thinking earlier, but it definitely surprised him. If she kept that up...Gladion shook his head. Okay, Moon was cute, pretty even. He never felt this way about a girl before. This was all very new to him, but there was no way he was going to ask anyone for advice. At the very least, he was not letting Sun near Moon. That he knew for certain.

Moon was deep in her thoughts. She liked kissing Gladion, though she also had a passing concern her hormones were just doing the talking. Did she actually like him in that way? Well, that was very much up for debate. She didn't think blonde hair was her type, but there was something about him that inadvertently drew her to him. Not that she thought he liked her in that way anyway. Still, a little harmless flirting wouldn't hurt, right? She quickly snuck a peek at Gladion, who looked lost in his own thoughts. In the evening sun, his green eyes glowed. Moon looked away, but couldn't stop the smile that formed on her lips. Earlier, she wasn't sure what the summer would bring. She still didn't know, but it could definitely be an interesting one.


	9. Bet

Moon had just finished loading the laundry when she heard conversation outside. She closed the lid on the washer and turned it on before walking over to the door. Peeking through the peephole, she saw it was Hau, Sun and Lillie.

Opening the door, Moon smiled. "Hey! What are you guys doing here?"

"Hau was bored, so he suggested we crash your place." Sun explained.

Hau gave Sun a look. "I didn't say it that way."

"But it was implied."

"Okay, okay, you two, enough." Lillie turned to Moon. "I hope it isn't a bad time."

"I just started a load of laundry. I'm good." Moon stepped aside so the three could enter.

As the three were taking off their shoes, Gladion yelled from his room, "Where are all my socks?"

Lillie looked like she was trying hard to not laugh. Moon rolled her eyes and yelled back, "They just went in the wash."

Gladion came out, beginning to say, "How long is it going to-" before noticing the company. "What are you doing here?" He asked, mainly directed at Sun.

"We were bored, so we decided to drop by. Calm down, big brother," Lillie said sweetly.

Gladion sighed. He turned to Moon. "Is there any turkey left?"

Moon gave him a look. "No, you ate the last of it, and were supposed to pick up more at the store on your way home from your job yesterday."

"I was tired." Gladion grumbled. "Now what am I going to eat for lunch? A cheese sandwich is boring."

"Just pick up something at a fast food place nearby." Moon suggested.

"I hate fast food." Gladion walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge to look inside. Seeing there was nothing inside of use, he sighed. "I guess it will be a bowl of cereal." He went to reach for a box of Cocoa Puffs.

"Hey! That's my cereal!" Moon exclaimed.

Gladion poured some into a soup mug. "I'm out of my cereal. I'll just buy you more."

Moon pouted. "And when will that be?"

"Maybe today or tomorrow. I don't know."

Moon muttered under her breath. "I'll just get it later today."

"Hey, I said I would get it, didn't I?" Gladion glared at Moon.

"Hmm, sure you will." Moon rolled her eyes. "The last time you said you would get something, it took almost two weeks."

"Is that a challenge?" Gladion approached Moon.

Moon smirked at him. "What's at stake if I win?"

During this exchange, Moon's guests were thinking different things. Sun was not pleased at how comfortable Moon and Gladion were acting with each other. Lillie was trying her hardest to not laugh out loud, as her shoulders shook from silent laughter and she kept her hand over her mouth. Hau was thinking something, but didn't want to interrupt by saying it aloud.

"Hmm, how about you do bathrooms for a week?" Moon suggested.

Gladion rolled his eyes. "Is that all you are bringing to the table?" His eyes shifted briefly to Sun before focusing back on Moon. "I'm thinking something a bit more...fun."

Moon's eyes narrowed. "And do you care to elaborate?"

"Hmm, no. But you're welcome to change your terms and not tell them to me either."

Moon looked thoughtful. There was no way whatever he was thinking of could be too bad, right? "Fine."

"I need to take care of something. Have fun with your guests." Gladion walked back to his bedroom.

Moon sighed. She turned back to her friends. Lillie burst out laughing, as she couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh...god..." She said in between laughing. "Can you guys have your own tv show or something? That would be something I would watch."

"You guys bickered like my Gramps did with my Grandma when she was alive." Hau commented. "You're like an old married couple."

Moon blushed. "This is not everyday. But today is one of those days, apparently. Do you guys want anything to drink? Sorry I didn't ask sooner."

"Do you have any iced tea?" Hau asked.

Moon nodded. "I'll get you guys some. Why don't you sit down?"

Moon headed to the kitchen to pour tea for everyone. She brought back the glasses and sat down herself.

"How are you guys doing?"

"I have a soccer game this Saturday. It would be great if you could all come." Sun spoke up.

Moon hesitated. "What time is it?"

"One."

Moon groaned. "I can't. I had promised Mom I would go to Heahea City with her, and we probably won't be back until four or so. And we're leaving here to catch a ferry around nine in the morning." She looked apologetic. "I know I said I would attend one of your games, but things just keep popping up."

"Or fate," Lillie said partly to herself.

"Huh?" Hau asked.

"Oh, nothing." Lillie smiled, waving her hand dismissing it.

"Man, I can't wait until two weeks from now. My parents and I are taking a vacation to Unova." Hau grinned.

"Really?" Moon exclaimed. "My dad was from there. I've been wanting to go there myself, but it hadn't happened yet. Mom said maybe next summer, since moving and all was such a big expense this year."

"So no vacations for you this summer, Moon?" Hau asked.

Moon shook her head. "Not likely. But maybe next summer."

"Hey, Lillie. I've been wondering...what's it like living at a lab?" Hau asked.

"It's fine, actually. It was strange at first, but because it's a lab, it's a lot more secure, so I feel pretty safe there even after Dr. Kukui and your mom head home," Lillie said.

"Do the animals ever bug you?" Sun asked.

Lillie shook her head. "No. But I grew up with a lot of-" Lillie suddenly stopped, her lips clamping shut. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked down, clasping her hands tightly together.

Seeing that Lillie looked uncomfortable, Moon decided to change to subject. "Hey, Hau, we should spend a day at the beach soon."

Hau's eyes lit up. "Yeah! That would be fun! We could do a picnic lunch and go surfing and all that fun stuff."

"Maybe sometime next week?" Moon suggested.

"That should be okay." Hau nodded. He looked at Sun and Lillie. "Are you two in?"

"I'm definitely in!" Sun grinned.

"Me too." Lillie smiled shyly. She turned to Moon. "We should invite Gladion too, if he's not working."

Sun made a face but didn't say anything.

"Ugh, wait, I need to get a swimsuit. I grew out of my old one." Moon remembered.

"Ooh, I'll go with you. I'll never pass up a chance to go shopping." Lillie looked excited.

"Okay, sure. Want to go later today?" Moon asked.

"I'm free." Lillie nodded.

"Hey, are you not inviting us?" Hau whined.

Lillle pouted. "No, this will be a girls' day out. No boys allowed."

"Fine." Hau huffed, but he was smiling.

"Ooh, maybe we can do some summer clothes shopping too!" Lillie was getting stars in her eyes.

"Um, sure!" Moon just hoped she didn't get dragged into spending all her money she had saved up.

Suddenly the front door opened, and Gladion came in with a plastic bag in each hand.

"When did you even leave?" Moon stared, flabbergasted.

Gladion rolled his eyes. "You realize there is a back door too, right?"

"Well, yes, but that's a strange way to leave the house." Moon's eyes narrowed. "Unless you had a reason for it."

Gladion tossed a bag in Moon's direction. She caught it. "No!" She whined after looking inside. "Did you seriously go out now just to buy it?" Moon pulled out a box a Cocoa Puffs.

Gladion smirked. "Of course. So I win our little bet."

Moon groaned. "So what are the terms?" She asked wearily.

"Nothing much. I just need you to be my girlfriend."

"What?" Sun exclaimed while Lillie looked excited.

"For a day," Gladion added, smirking at Sun. "There's this annoying girl who always drops by at the beach while in doing a job, and I need her to back off."

"Ugh, I guess...when is this happening?" Moon asked.

"In a couple days."

Moon sighed. She wasn't thrilled, but it couldn't be too hard to do. "A bet is a bet. Fine, I'll do it."

"Good." Gladion walked up to where Moon was sitting and leaned down to give her a kiss.

"What are you doing?" Moon sputtered, flustered. Sun looked like he was going to kill Gladion.

"Well, I can't have you reacting like this if you are truly my girlfriend." Gladion smirked. "So we will need to practice a bit, don't you think?"

Moon's mouth dropped open as she stared back at him speechless. After a minute, she dropped her head into her hands. "I really hate you." She muttered.

"Love you too, babe." Gladion shot back, before heading to the kitchen.

"Moon, do you really have to do this?" Sun asked, clearly unhappy and shooting daggers with his eyes in the direction of the kitchen.

"A bet is a bet, right?" Hau commented. "It's a weird request, but it's not like it's putting Moon in danger."

Sun shot Hau a look that clearly was saying "aren't you supposed to be my best friend?"

Lillie looked thoughtful. "Hmm, this changes our shopping plans a bit. I think you'll need to match Gladion's style."

"No!" Moon practically shouted. "No, no, no! I'm not dressing up like an edgelord."

"I think that's a good point, Lillie," Gladion said as he rejoined them in the living room, holding a sandwich. "Gotta play the part fully, right?"

"Why can't I just dress like I normally do?" Moon whined. "Why can't Gladion have a normal girl for his fake girlfriend?"

Lillie shook her head. "Nope, won't do." She turned to Gladion. "Don't worry, I'll take care of things."

"Thanks, sis."

Moon buried her face in her hands. "This is going to be horrible." She muttered.

* * *

An hour later, Lillie and (begrudgingly) Moon set off for the main shopping mall in Hau'oli City. It was the largest mall on Melemele Island and contained over two hundred stores and restaurants. In addition to common brand stores, it also featured high end stores as well, which were frequent led by wealthy tourists. Upon reaching the mall, Lillie first led Moon to a surf shop. "First, the bathing suit, since that's the most important." Lillie explained.

Moon was okay with that. She browsed the racks, picking out some she liked. After finding around five different ones to try on, Moon searched for Lillie, who was holding a few suits.

"What do you have?" Lillie looked at what Moon picked out. "No! Why are these all one piece suits?" She gave Moon a glare. "You have a cute figure, Moon. You need to show it off." She gave Moon the suits she picked out. "Go try these on."

Moon sighed and headed to the dressing room. The first one had a bright tropical print to it. She tried it on and did a front and back check in the mirror. The front was fine but when she switched to the back, she gasped in horror.

"How's the first one?" Lillie asked from outside the door.

"Absolutely not." Moon replied. "Did you realize how much of my butt shows with this suit?"

"So? I'm sure you have a cute butt."

Moon blushed. "Lillie, that is not something you should be saying aloud like this." Moon stripped off the first suit, and moved on to the second suit. It was pink and dark blue. She tried it on, but didn't like the top. "Lillie, this top requires, um, more, you know..."

Lillie sighed. "In all fairness, I wasn't sure on that one."

Moon moved to the last one. It was a solid coral pink. The bottom was fairly standard, but the top had some weird criss-cross going across the bust area. It went a shade too low, but it did cover more of her chest than the other two did. Moon opened the dressing room door.

"Ooh, that's cute! I like it!" Lillie squealed.

Moon did a three-sixty in front to the mirror. "I guess it's okay. This top is going leave weird tan lines though."

"Well you can always get one with a top with less coverage." Lillie smiled wickedly.

"No! Fine, I'll get this one!" Moon said quickly, shutting the door. She quickly changed into her clothes and paid for the bathing suit.

"Now..." Lillie smiled. She grabbed Moon's hand. "C'mon."

She dragged Moon to a store called RebelLight. Inside was all the punk, grunge and alternative clothes you could imagine.

"Oh god," Moon turned red. "I don't know if I can pull this off, Lillie."

Lillie began walking around, looking at the options. "I think you can, Moon. I'll help you with your hair and makeup."

Moon whimpered at the thought. The only plus was that her mom was going to be at work that day, so she would see Moon in whatever Lillie was going to dress her in.

"Hmm, these are cute." Lillie held out a pair of distressed dark grey jean shorts. "Hmm, now a top." Her eyes scanned the store. "Ah!" She headed to a rack on the left and gave Moon a black tank to hold. She then moved to another rack and picked up a dark red corset top that tied in the front. Lillie tapped her chin with her pointer finger. "Hmm, you need jewelry at least."

"I have the necklace Gladion gave me." Moon said weakly, feeling overwhelmed.

"Ah, true. Yeah, you should wear that. But you need a bracelet. Do you have pierced ears?" Lillie looked closely at Moon. "Huh? You have two holes in each ear? Why don't you ever wear earrings?"

"I do, I just forget most days."

Lillie tsked. "Okay, let's see what they have." She walked over to the jewelry area. "She picked up some stud earrings and black hoops and a slightly glittery cuff bracelet. "Ah, and these!" Lillie went to the show shelf and picked up a black Doc Marten. "What size are you?"

"Five." When Moon looked at the boot, her eyes nearly bugged out at the price tag.

"Oh, don't look like that. I heard they're really comfortable, so you'll probably wear them more often than you think. And I'll pay for half." She nudged Moon toward the dressing room. "Go try on the stuff and I'll get someone to find a pair in your size while you change."

Moon sighed and went to the dressing room. After changing into the clothes, she wanted to hide under the floor. This was totally not her style. She heard a knock on the door.

"Are you done?" Lillie asked.

Moon slowly opened the door. "Oh. My. God. I'm good." Lillie grinned. "With the boots plus some makeup and a slightly different hair style, you'll be perfect."

Moon was beet red. "Lillie, there is no way I can go out in public like this. What if someone from school sees me?"

"Considering you will be arm in arm with Gladion and all dressed up, I doubt they'll recognize you. Besides, you look cute...in an edgy way."

"I'm going to be nicknamed 'Edgelady' at this rate," Moon muttered.

"Moon," Lillie said firmly. "Why don't you use this as an opportunity to get back at Gladion?"

"Huh?" Moon asked, confused.

"Gladion is playing a game essentially, right? So why not beat him at his own game? Make him more flustered than you feel. I saw you do a pretty good job at the beach a bit back."

Moon's mouth dropped. "You were spying on us?"

Lillie looked a bit guilty. "Not on purpose," She lied. "But if anyone could make him flustered, I think it's you."

"I was being not myself that day." Moon argued. "I was feeling bold for some reason."

"Then feel bold again." Lillie encouraged. "Don't you want to beat Gladion at his own game?"

Moon stood silently for a few minutes, thinking it over. Yes, it would be fun to beat Gladion at his own game. But did she really have the guts to pull it off? It was one thing to be in her own clothes. But now she had to dress the part and actually act like a girlfriend on top of it.

"Fine...I'll try." Moon said in defeat. "But I can't promise anything."

Lillie smiled widely. "Good. Now..." Her smile turned wicked. "I think you should start at least practicing when you get home. Save the clothes for the day of, though. We need to shock him. But Gladion said you guys needed to practice, right?"

"Tomorrow." Moon said firmly. "I need to mentally prepare."

Lillie sighed. "Alright. Let's checkout. You do still want sone new summer clothes, right?"

"Yes." Finally, normal clothes shopping. Moon could help but think.

Lillie and Moon walked the entire mall, stopping at various stores. Moon picked up some new shorts and tops and even a couple of sundresses. They reached the end of the mall where all the high end stores were clustered.

"Um, maybe we should turn around." Moon suggested.

"It doesn't hurt to look." Lillie argued. She grabbed Moon's hand and led her into a shoes store. They greeted the sales person and walked around the store. Lillie picked up a pair of flats to look at. "These are cute." She sighed, handing them to Moon.

Moon had to agree they were cute, but did everything in her power to not let her mouth drop open when she checked the price. Eight hundred dollars? Moon's mind was whirling. Who paid that much for a pair of shoes?

"Okay, let's move on." Lillie announced.

Moon eyed Lillie. She didn't seem to be at all uncomfortable going into these high end stores. She had her suspicions that Lillie and Gladion grew up in a wealthier setting ever since her birthday celebration, though you wouldn't be able to tell from Gladion himself. But Lillie still had an air of someone that grew up with comfortable means. Not that she wasn't a nice person, but Moon was curious as to what happened that led to their current situation.

They browsed a few more stores before heading to the food court to buy dinner. Moon glanced at Lillie, and decided to try to broach the subject.

"Hey, Lillie? I don't mean to pry, but what exactly happened that led to you living with Dr. Kukui and Gladion joining Team Skull and also living on his own?"

Lillie flushed a bit. She remained silent for a few minutes.

"Ah, I mean, if it's painful, I don't mean to cause you any problems. I mean, I don't like telling people that my father died and.."

"No, that's not quite it. Our parents are very much alive." Lillie interrupted her. "But our mother...she can be very controlling. And I believe Gladion got tired of it, which is why he left. I was not as courageous as he was to leave at that time, so it took me another couple of years to work up the courage to leave. We haven't spoken to our mother since, and Gladion works those jobs to pay for our daily expenses. When your mom offered to have him live with you, I was so happy. Rent wasn't cheap, and Gladion was wearing himself out. He can at least relax a bit more, though he still needs to work."

Moon listened quietly. She wasn't sure what Lillie meant by "controlling" but she guessed it couldn't be good if it forced eventually both of them to run away. Now she felt like it was only proper to not complain and help Gladion out by acting as his fake girlfriend. He and Lillie needed the money, right?

"Has your mom not filed a police report given that you essentially ran away?" Moon asked.

Lillie shook her head. "When Gladion left, my mom pretty much disowned him. I'm sure she did the same with me."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Lillie gave Moon a bittersweet smile. "I probably came across as unapproachable when I first started school, but I was scared and stressed and didn't quite know what I was doing. But I think meeting you has helped. Also for Gladion too."

Moon smiled back at Lillie.

"Well, we should probably head home, unless you want to do more shopping." Lillie grinned.

"No! My wallet can't do anymore." Moon mock moaned.


	10. Girlfriend?

The next morning, Gladion stretched in bed after waking up. He has worked for about five hours last night, but it wasn't anything too taxing. He reached for his phone to check the time. Ten in the morning. That was early for him.

He thought back to yesterday. He almost felt bad for making Moon do what he was making her do, but he really had to get this annoying girl off his back. She was some rich kid that was touring for an extended stay at Hano Grand Resort, which connected to the beach where Gladion did the sea cucumber clean up. She was always following him as he was working, clearly trying to flirt with him and get his attention. He had no interest in the air headed teenager, and one day in anger, he told her he already had a girlfriend. She clearly didn't believe him though, and demanded proof. So when Moon had opened up to that ridiculously easy bet, he jumped at that chance.

Of course, he could have just asked Moon, but he doubted she would have said yes. She looked absolutely miserable when she came home from shopping with Lillie, and was freakishly quiet for the rest of the night. Her mom had asked Moon if she was feeling okay, and she claimed she was fine, just tired. In all fairness, knowing his sister and her shopaholic ways, she could have been telling the truth. Still, he was concerned.

Rolling to his side, he slowly got out of bed and tossed on a t-shirt. He headed out of his bedroom, and decided to actually make himself the rare breakfast. Moon was already up, of course. She was still in what Gladion had learned over time was her sleepwear - short sweatshorts and a tank. Hearing footsteps, Moon glanced in Gladion's direction.

"Morning," he said.

Moon smiled, and came up to him, giving him a kiss on the lips. "Morning."

Gladion blinked in surprise. Moon's smile turned into a smirk. "You said we should practice, right?"

So that was what it was. Not that he minded. Gladion smirked back at Moon. "Yeah, I did say that. So does that mean I also can get a hug?" He was curious to see how far she was going to get into this "practice."

"Sure, my dear edgelord," Moon drawled. She leaned, in wrapping her arms around his neck, while he wrapped his arms around her back. She had that light floral scent that Gladion remembered from before. He took it in so he could remember it, since he had little doubt that hugs would actually be a common occurrence between the two of them. He liked how Moon felt in his arms. It was comforting. The two stood there in each other's arms for a few minutes.

Reluctantly, Gladion lowered his arms, and Moon did the same. She stepped back a bit. "Are you hungry?"

"I was going to eat something," Gladion nodded. "Why?"

"We still have leftover pancake batter from this morning when Mom and I ate before she left for work. You're welcome to use it up."

"Sure." Gladion walked into the kitchen. The skillet was still on the counter. He went to grab some butter and the batter from the fridge, and cut a wedge of butter and placed it on the skillet. As he waited for it to heat up, he felt Moon sneak her arms around him from behind. His heart sped up a bit. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Nothing." He felt her face against his upper back, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. Moon sighed.

Gladion really didn't mind the attention, but he also wasn't used to it either, and felt his cheeks flush. The butter started to melt and sizzle on the skillet, so Gladion unlocked Moon's arms from around him.

Moon pouted but didn't complain. She leaned against the counter alongside Gladion, watching him cook the pancakes. "Do you have a job today?"

"No, not today. Why?" Gladion asked, as he flipped the pancakes.

Moon leaned into him, looking up at him with wistful eyes. "I just want to spend all day with you then."

Gladion nearly burned himself, as the wet side of one pancake partly touched his hand. He coughed. Moon looked very cute, almost...no, he was not turning into a perv. Not looking Moon in the eyes, he replied, "I guess we could do something if you want." Covering up his embarrassment, he smirked. "Aren't you going to get sick of me though? Two full days of closely hanging out with me?"

"I think I'll manage," Moon replied sweetly. There wasn't a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Gladion looked at her in curiosity. Was this really all for practice?

"What is it?" Moon asked.

"Nothing." Checking the underside of the pancakes, Gladion saw they were done. Moon moved away, and grabbed a plate for him.

"Thanks, babe." Gladion looked at Moon to see her reaction.

Moon was pouting as they sat down at the kitchen table. "I want a more personal pet name than 'babe'. Besides, all I think of is that pig movie when I hear it."

Gladion had no idea what Moon was talking about but he shrugged. "Fine, what would be better?"

"Hmmm, call me Luna, after the moon goddess."

"Okay, Luna-bean." Gladion smirked. He ate his pancakes, and Moon was checking something on her phone. After finishing his food, Gladion stood up, and lifted Moon's chin so she was looking at him. "I thought you wanted to spend all day with me."

Moon smiled, blushing slightly. "Of course I do, sweetie. I was just looking to see if there were any movies out. I've been wanting to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2, but everyone I know has already seen it and I want to see it in a theatre."

Gladion looked curious. "I'm assuming it's a sequel. What's it about?"

Moon's mouth dropped open. "You have no idea what it is?"

Gladion shrugged. "I never really went to the movies much."

Moon looked flabbergasted. "So I'm guessing you never saw the first Ironman either."

"Who?" Gladion asked.

Moon face palmed. All promise of practicing being a girlfriend flew out the window, as there was a more important matter at stake. "I know exactly what we are doing, starting today, until we are done. We are starting a movie marathon. It will take us a day and a half no stopping, but we are doing it."

* * *

The next day at ten, Lillie rang the doorbell. At first no one answered. She frowned and opened the door. Moon's mom told her to just go in if no one answered. She was smiling a bit when saying that, which Lillie found suspicious. Lillie entered the house and found Moon and Gladion glued to the television set.

"No, Bucky!" Moon whined.

"Why do you always go for the dark haired guys?" Gladion muttered.

"What are you two doing?" Lillie asked.

Both jumped. Gladion rubbed his eyes. "Lillie, what are you doing here?"

"Awww, snap," Moon muttered. She picked up her cell phone. "It's already ten," she told Gladion.

Gladion sighed.

"Please don't tell me you two have been glued to the TV set all night." Lillie gasped.

Moon and Gladion looked guilty. "Um, maybe?" Moon laughed nervously.

"Ugh, I can't believe you two! Moon, go take a shower so I can get you ready. Gladion, you take a shower after Moon's done." She grabbed Moon's hand, forcing Moon to stand up. "Go. Now."

Gladion raised an eyebrow at his sister after yawning. "What do you mean by getting Moon ready?"

"So she looks like your girlfriend, remember? Or did you forget?"

Gladion groaned.

"You forgot." Lillie concluded. "How long have you two been watching movies for?"

"Since yesterday morning."

Lillie face palmed. "I can't believe you two."

Five minutes later, Moon came out. "Okay, let's get you ready." Lillie pushed Moon into her bedroom. "Gladion, you get ready too."

In Moon's bedroom, Lillie crossed her arms and glared at Moon. "I am guessing you two did not practice at all being boyfriend and girlfriend."

Moon looked sheepish. "Well, we got caught up in the movie marathon..."

"Moon, you promised me!"

Moon turned red. "Let's just get this over with, okay?" She asked, trying to deflect the matter. She grabbed the clothes from her closet and quickly threw them on. She then put on the jewelry, including the necklace Gladion insisted she wore every day.

Lillie looked pensive. "I want to do something with your hair, but I don't know what. I'll just start with the makeup first." She pulled out a foot long makeup case, and started applying makeup to Moon's face. After she was done, she stepped back to admire her work. "I'm not saying you should always wear makeup like this, but you look good and not in the annoying 'I'm trying too hard to be edgy' way."

Moon picked up her hand mirror and glanced at herself. "I guess I look okay. Reminds me of some of the punk bands in Japan from the early 2000s though."

Lille was tapping her foot as she stared at Moon. "Do I want to put you hair up? Or should it be mostly left down?" She was saying mostly to herself. She went to gather all of Moon's hair in her hand to test its length for an updo, and gasped. "Moon!"

Realizing what Lillie was referring to, Moon turned red. "It was only once! Don't put your mind in the gutter!"

Lillie smirked. "So you were practicing after all."

Moon automatically put her hand over the mark on her neck. "It wasn't like that at all! Just do what you need to do with my hair."

Lillie couldn't help but smile wider. "Too bad your hair is too short to really pull off the updo I wanted to make. Showing off that love bite would have been the perfect touch." Moon turned a deeper red. "Okay, I'll do a half up do."

As Lillie did her hair, Moon thought back to last night. She had no idea what time it was, but they were in the middle of watching the first Captain America movie when they hit the one scene where the random woman semi-forced a kiss on Steve Rogers. Gladion suddenly leaned over, brushing back Moon's hair from the side of her neck, and planted his lips there. Moon at first didn't realize what he was doing, but it felt good, so she didn't complain. It wasn't until after he moved back, that he smirked at her. Suspicious, Moon took a quick bathroom break, and found the culprit of his smirk. She badly wanted to snap at him, but then remembered her promise to Lillie, and went back calmly, plotting on getting him back when they were out on their little date. So it wasn't as if she had entirely forgotten - she remembered for maybe five minutes of the past twenty-four hours. Moon didn't actually care about beating Gladion. This was for him and Lillie, to help them.

"Okay, done!" Lillie announced. "Put your shoes on, and you're all set."

Moon tugged on the Doc Martens and laced them up. She glanced at herself in the full length mirror attached to the back of her bedroom door. She almost didn't recognize herself. Between the edgy clothes and the punk (emo?) makeup, she looked like an entirely different person. She took a deep breath. She had to concentrate on being the girlfriend here in a convincing matter. And it wasn't only for the bet. It was to help Lillie out. Moon knew if she kept that in the back of her mind, she could pull it off. Hopefully.

There was a knock at her bedroom door. "Are you almost done? We need to grab the ferry to Akala Island soon."

"We're ready!" Lillie sang. She opened the door, and let Moon step out first.

Moon found herself face to face with Gladion, whose eyes traveled the full length of her body. His cheeks flushed pink, and he quickly focused his gaze on Lillie. "You couldn't have picked out an outfit that covered more skin?"

Lillie pouted. "I thought you wanted it to be convincing."

"Not all Team Skull members dress like this. I mean, it's not like the girl members don't wear long pants and jackets!"

Lillie rolled her eyes. "I thought you had to get going."

"Urgh." Gladion muttered. He reached for Moon's hand. "C'mon." He led her to the ferry station in Hau'oli City, not looking back at her once.

It wasn't until the ferry had taken off that Moon spoke up. "So how will I recognize this girl?"

"She's annoying. Trust me, you'll know." Gladion muttered.

Moon wrapped her arms around Gladion's right arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Okay, I'll protect you from the evil."

Gladion peeked down at Moon, who was looking out at the ocean. She had a determined look on her face, which surprised him, since he was under the impression she absolutely loathed this idea.

After reaching the docks, Gladion and Moon headed to Hano Beach, their hands intertwined. Gladion didn't want to risk meeting up with said girl before even hitting the beach and not being all boyfriend like. They took a leisurely stroll, as Moon hadn't been to Heahea City yet, and she was clearly curious. Reaching Hano Grand Resort, Moon's mouth dropped. "Can we stop in here to look around after you are done?"

Amused by Moon's starry eyes, he nodded. "Sure."

They proceeded on to Hano Beach, and Gladion led Moon over the the head of Beach Patrol to let him know he arrived. The head nodded and told them it was peak breeding season, so there were more sea cucumbers washing ashore than usual, but he would pay Gladion double for his work. Gladion agreed to the deal, and he and Moon began walking along the beach, searching for the sea cucumbers.

Upon finding one, Moon asked, "May I?"

Gladion handed the sea cucumber to Moon who threw it back into the ocean. She had a surprisingly strong throw. Seeing Gladion surprised, she explained, "My dad and I used to toss footballs back and forth."

They continued to walk along the beach, when a valley girl voice called out, "Heeeey~!"

Gladion saw Moon twitch. They turned around to see a girl around their age walking up to them. She had dark hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a striped bikini. She was also well toned.

Moon gripped Gladion's hand tighter. He was curious to see how Moon would react.

Moon sighed, and gave Gladion a bored look. "Is this the bitch that's been causing you problems?" Her tone reminded Gladion of Plumeria.

Gladion smirked. "Yeah."

The girl now reached them, and took in the sight of Moon and Gladion together. She frowned. "And you are?"

Moon rolled her eyes. "Given you are the one who approached us, it's pretty rude to not introduce yourself first."

The girl looked taken aback briefly before she spoke. "I'm Yukina. I'm here on a summer stay at the resort."

Moon gave her a "not impressed" look. "Good for you?" She remarked, with slight sarcasm. "What do you want?"

"Shouldn't you introduce yourself too?" Yukina shot back.

Moon let out a bored sigh. "I'm Moon."

"Luna-bean, let's just continue our work," Gladion said, tugging her forward.

However, Yukina continued to keep pace with them. She seemed to be measuring Moon up, and eyed their interwoven hands. "How old are you?" She asked.

"Is this twenty questions or something?" Moon asked sarcastically. "I'm thirteen. And what does it matter?"

Yukina did not like that comment. She frowned. "So are you guys, like, together, or something?"

Moon rolled her eyes. "What do you think? Or do I need to spell it out for you?" Moon asked in a flat tone. She lifted the crystal pendant of her necklace. "Birthday present." She lifted her hair off her neck. "Hickey."

Gladion was internally going back and forth between embarrassment and being impressed that Moon had the courage to pull off that card.

"Oh, and we live together." Moon smiled at Yukina

Well, that is true, Gladion thought and smirked.

Yukina looked shocked. "Seriously?" She crossed her arms. She spoke something in at length in Japanese to Moon. Moon's eyes narrowed, and she replied back in Japanese. Yukina then said something that sounded like a question in Japanese. He sensed a change in Moon's mood, and glanced at her to find her looking pissed. She let go of Gladion's hand and walked up to Yukina.

"What does it even matter what I am?" Moon asked in English, her voice calm but pointed. "Yes, I'm half-Japanese but who cares? Fun fact for you: due to the wonderful scientific phenomenon known as genetics, Gladion and I could produce a very beautiful blonde child. Jealous? I've heard about what a pain you are, annoying my boyfriend as he is trying to work and earn money. And honestly, I've had enough. Stop bugging him and let him do his work. You think we all have the opportunity in life to live off of our parents money and live carefree lives? Well, news flash, not all of us do. This is why I can't stand entitled spoiled brats like you. Now get lost and don't bug my boyfriend again."

Yukina looked shocked. Gladion reached for Moon and pulled her into his arms, giving her a long kiss. "I don't appreciate that you upset my girlfriend like this either." He sent a death glare towards Yukina. "Don't ever approach me again."

Sensing more danger than she rather deal with, Yukina nodded slowly as she backed away, before running off.

Gladion sighed. He looked at Moon, who still looked pissed. "Are you okay?" He wasn't sure if she was still acting or not.

"Sorry I lost my cool like that." Moon closed her eyes and took a deep breath in before slowly exhaling. "She asked if I was a 'haafu.'"

"Haafu?" Gladion repeated.

"I used to get slack from a group of kids in my class back in Kanto for being mixed race. Some people look down on you if you have 'impure blood' or are not pure Japanese. That girl's words triggered less than pleasant memories. The fact that she even asked that told me too that she had no serious interest in you, since she wouldn't marry someone not of Japanese descent."

Gladion rubbed Moon's back. He then brought Moon into his arms for a hug. "That's stupid." He leaned back a bit and gave Moon a kiss. "Who cares what genetic background you have? It's the person that counts." He let go and reached for Moon's hand. "Let's finish this job so we can head home."

Moon nodded and a couple hours later, they finished the work. Gladion got his money. He then face palmed. "That's right, you get to meet Plumeria."

"Who's that?"

"Team Skull's second in command, so to speak. I think she dropped out of college? I don't really know her story. She's pretty low key though and not stupid, unlike a lot of the Team Skull members." Holding Moon's hand, they walked to the open pavilion outside of Hano Grand Resort. Moon spotted a woman that had to be Plumeria. Her hair was dyed pink and in two pigtails, and she wore a black halter tank and low waist baggy black joggers with sneakers.

Plumeria noticed Gladion was not alone when he approached her. "And who is this brat?" She asked.

Moon was about to say "girlfriend" when Gladion spoke up.

Gladion glared. "A friend."

Now that Yukina was dealt with, Moon was back to the friend status. She felt a shed of disappointment. Wait a minute, why was she feeling any disappointment? It's not like she actually liked Gladion.

"Hmm." Plumeria scrutinized the two for a minute. She then focused on Gladion. "Your payment?"

"Here." Gladion handed over two hundred. "I got paid double today."

"Good." Plumeria nodded, counting the money. She stood up. "Well, off on a date now?"

Moon blinked in surprise. Gladion started to protest.

"Please, do you think I'm stupid? You two are obviously a couple, though maybe you don't realize it yet. You're still young after all." Plumeria sighed. "I'll be in touch, kid." She half waved before sauntering off.

Moon and Gladion both stood there in shock. After a few minutes, Moon laughed nervously. "I guess I acted better than I thought I would?"

"Um, yeah, I guess." Gladion scratched the back of his head.

"Why do you give Team Skull half?" Moon asked.

Gladion sighed. "They looked out for me when I was first on my own. Plus they help find these jobs, since there aren't too many out there that hire fourteen year olds."

That made sense. Moon nodded in understanding. She wondered if Gladion would stick with Team Skull through high school. I mean, he didn't seem to be much of a part of them, like others she had encountered. And he could find part time work once he turned fifteen.

Moon then glanced at the hotel, getting stars in her eyes. "Can we?"

Gladion had forgotten he promised they could go and look around in the lobby. "Okay."

The two headed in, and Moon was super excited. She commented on the architecture, the colors used, and layout and more. Gladion guessed it was something related to her photographer mindset that made the place appealing. It was nice, he supposed, for those that liked expensive sort of hotels. He had stayed there once, a long time ago with Lillie and his parents, but it was pretty fuzzy. That thought reminded him of something.

"Hey, Luna-bean," He began.

Moon glanced back at Gladion, surprised he used her fake girlfriend pet name. She assumed her duty was done once Yukina was out of the picture. "Did you really mean what you said earlier about spoiled brats?"

Moon took a moment before answering. "Yes and no. I mean, I can't stand the type of rich kids that literally think that everything should be handed on a gold platter to them. But I also knew a couple kids who had parents that had good paying jobs that were also down to earth, despite having a lot, because that's how they were raised. So I guess it depends. Why?"

"Just wondering," Gladion replied. As they came back to a fountain, Moon sighed, contentedly. "You done?" Gladion asked.

She nodded, and the two headed out of the hotel and back to Heahea City to catch the ferry at the port. After getting on board, they decided to stand along the rails to watch the sunset. "Hey, Luna-bean, thanks."

Moon smirked. "I guess it was fun. Though it took every ounce of my brain to be so sarcastic. I give people credit who are naturally sarcastic all the time." She let out a long sigh. She then asked something that was bugging her. "So, am I permanently Luna-bean now or something? I assumed now that we were done, the pet names were also going to be dropped."

"Do you dislike it?"

Moon shrugged. "I don't really care, I guess. Just curious, that's all."

"Well, I think I like Luna-bean." Gladion leaned down and gave Moon a kiss. When he leaned back and opened his eyes, he saw Moon was blushing. "Hey, I thought you practiced not blushing. You did pretty good at the beach."

"It took every ounce of my concentration to not blush." Moon admitted. "Besides, why are you kissing me now anyway? Our little ploy as boyfriend and girlfriend is over."

Moon was right. They weren't dating. As far as he knew, she had no interest in him like that. Her words brought Gladion back to earth. He had gotten fairly comfortable in how they interacted as fake boyfriend and girlfriend that he wasn't against letting it go on. But it sounded like Moon had no interest in keeping it up. That put him in a bad mood.

"Hey, what's with the sudden pissed off face?" Moon asked.

Gladion remained silent. Back when he first met Moon, she didn't automatically give him a judgmental look like every other student he met. That had given him a small ray of hope that she was different. Living with her and her mom these past few months had actually been surprisingly not out of the ordinary. Moon was easy to get along with. Okay, they had their arguments at times, but they were pretty trivial. Maybe he just got caught up in the whole whirlwind of Moon, and was looking for any bright spot to shed light on his mostly miserable situation. He chided himself for jumping the gun so easily.

He remembered what he told himself before. No distractions. Moon was simply the girl he lived with. Nothing more.

"Gladion?" Moon asked again.

"It's nothing, Moon."

Hearing the switch back, Moon knew her role as fake girlfriend was over. She headed to another area of the rail to watch as the ferry approached Melemele Island. She felt a sense of discontentment, though she didn't understand why. She brushed it off. She still had a whole summer ahead of her, and life in Alola to look forward to.


	11. Freshmen

Over a year later....

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Moon's alarm went off, waking her up. After a whole summer off, she wasn't used to getting up early for school. Not to mention earlier than last year, now that she was beginning high school. She silently cursed the earlier start time of Hau'oli City High. Didn't they realize teenagers had different circadian rhythms?

Moon rolled out of bed, landing carefully on the floor before standing up. She headed to her closet to pull out her school uniform. It was not that much different than her middle school uniform - the skirt and tie were different colors, but it was basically the same thing. She dressed and headed to the bathroom to refresh.

The bathroom door was closed. Seeing Gladion's bedroom door was already open, she assumed he was in there. Moon knocked. "How long are you going to be?"

"Five minutes." Gladion replied from inside the bathroom.

Moon sighed she headed to the kitchen to quickly pack her lunch. Throwing in a sandwich, bag of pretzels, a cereal bar and bottled water, she placed her lunch at by her school bag. Hearing the bathroom door open, she headed back towards it.

Gladion was already dressed, and looked mostly ready. He had grown taller in the past year, and while he was still on the skinny side, his shoulders had broadened, and he looked less boyish than before. His light green eyes glanced at Moon. "Maybe you need to set your alarm for earlier."

Moon stuck her tongue at him in response before going inside the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Gladion went to his bedroom to grab his bookbag. Moon had also grown, particularly this past summer. She looked less like a child and more like a teenager now. Her facial features became more defined as she lost some of the roundness in her face, making her cheek bones more prominent. Her curves had become more developed, and she no longer was a straight beanpole. She still kept her bangs, but her hair had grown out a bit past her shoulder, no longer the bob she used to wear.

Gladion promised Moon and Lillie that they would all take the same bus to school for their first day. As he waited for Moon, he reflected on the past year. He went through his freshmen year of high school, and while it wasn't great, it wasn't horrible either. There were a few juniors and seniors that were part of Team Skull at the high school, so he would hang out with them at lunch. He didn't make any friends in his own grade, but he really didn't care. He still lived with Moon and her mom. This past July when he turned fifteen, he began a job at the local supermarket as a cashier. Even though he was limited to twelve to sixteen hours a week due to his age, it was a steady income, and he didn't have to do random jobs for Team Skull anymore, which Plumeria didn't complain about since it was less work for her now that she didn't have to find jobs for Gladion. True to the promise he made to himself the summer before, he kept his interactions with Moon limited. It wasn't entirely unavoidable, given they lived in the same house, but he purposely hung out with Team Skull more.

He and Moon - well, what were they? He asked himself that question every so often. They acted almost like siblings, given they lived in the same house and squabbled like siblings on occasion. Moon spent more time hanging out with Hau, Sun and Lillie on weekends during their eighth grade year. However, this past summer, he never saw Sun drop by. Out of curiosity, he asked why Sun hadn't been around much. Moon replied he was busy with soccer, but something in her tone made him doubt her.

Moon stepped out of the bathroom, now fully ready. She applied light makeup and put her hair partly up, showing off her long neck. She wore Gladion's necklace underneath her shirt. She didn't know why she still kept wearing it, especially when you couldn't even see it, but she did. The past summer was a bit of a roller coaster for her. At the start of summer vacation, Sun finally outright asked her on a date, stating he liked her since they first met. Moon had agreed to go on a date with him, but as the afternoon progressed, it simply didn't feel right. Or rather, it didn't feel any different from hanging out with Hau or Lillie. When Sun attempted to kiss her, Moon stopped him, gently telling him she didn't think she could ever feel that way towards him. Sun was clearly hurt, and they didn't speak for most of the summer. Good old Hau tried to be a good friend to both Sun and Moon though, hanging out and talking to both separately. A week ago, she received a text from Sun, asking if they could just be friends again. Moon agreed, and it seemed that Sun had moved on. Moon was glad to see him get over his hurt, as she felt guilty. And not guilty for causing him hurt, but guilty that she didn't feel guilty for hurting him. It was almost a relief to let know Sun that she only saw him as a friend.

Gladion felt his eye twitch a bit at seeing Moon. Though he would never admit it out loud, along with looking less like a child, she also grew prettier. And seeing her now gave him a strong edge of envy at the thought of her being visible to every high schooler in the city.

"You ready?" Gladion asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Moon stared at him for a moment. She had become good at detecting the tones of his voice, and he was covering up some annoyance, though she assumed it had to do with waiting for her. Moon nodded. "Let's go."

Outside of Moon's house, Lillie was waiting. She had also grown taller this past summer, and was easily gaining the figure of a model. Moon was semi-jealous of Lillie's long legs, though she also knew thanks to her Asian genes, her chances of having equally long legs was on the low end.

"Morning big brother and Moon!" Lillie seemed excited to be starting high school.

Moon was a bit nervous. The high school was much larger than their middle school, and served all high school aged kids in Hau'oli City and the nearby Iki Town and Hau'oli Outskirts. She also knew there were other Team Skull members that were students at the school. Though she never said anything to Gladion, she didn't like it when he hung out with them. Not that he didn't hang out with her, Hau and crew on occasion, but it was rare this past year. She felt like they still got along as normal at home but also felt there was a distance growing between them since they were not at the same school this past year. Moon was hoping that being in high school together would fix that distance.

The high school was a block further into downtown Hau'oil City than their middle school. It was a warm but slightly breezy August day. Moon carried her blazer in her arm, since it was too hot to be wearing it until they got inside the air conditioned building. As the reached the school grounds, Moon spotted Hau and Sun.

Both Hau and Sun had grown taller as well, though it was more of a surprise to see Sun, as she hadn't seen him in person since that fateful day. He had lost some of the baby fat in his face, and his figure was now clearly that of an athlete, lean yet muscular. Hau also looked more mature, his jaw line more defined, and his shoulders broad looking. However, he was still the same old Hau on the inside.

"Hey guys!" Hau grinned at them, placing his hands behind his head.

"Morning," Moon greeted him.

"Morning, Hau," Lillie also said, her cheeks tinting slightly.

As far as Moon knew, there wasn't any progress between Hau and Lillie, though it had become apparent to her that Lillie had a thing for Hau to some degree. She didn't push it though, since she figured if they both liked each other, they would get together eventually on their own. Besides, she was probably more of a heart breaker than a matchmaker.

"Hi Moon," Sun greeted her. "Did you do anything exciting this summer?"

Gladion's ears perked at that question. Why would Sun be asking that if they had spoken or even seen each other regularly during the summer. He looked at the two. They seemed to be acting normal, though he was no expert on how they usually acted around each other.

"Ah, same old," Moon replied.

The group continued to chat as they headed into the school building. After reaching the opening hallway, they parted ways. Lillie and Sun were in the same homeroom, but Moon and Hau were both in different homerooms. Moon made her way to room one twenty-one. A group of students were already in the room, some standing, others sitting. Moon recognized a couple of students from her middle school and waved at them. She put her bookbag down at a desk. The student sitting in front of her glanced at Moon. He had dark hair brown hair and grey eyes.

"Hey!" He said. He had a slight accent. "I'm Xavier, but you can just call me X for short. I'm new in the area."

Moon smiled at him. "I'm Moon. I moved here a couple of years ago from the Kanto."

"I moved here with my family from the Kalos. My twin sister, Yvonne, is in another homeroom."

"You're a twin? That's awesome!" Moon stated.

X looked a bit embarrassed. "We don't look much alike, though. I look more like my mom and Yvonne looks like our dad." He then smiled. "I hope we can become friends."

"Me too!" Moon was curious about the boy from Kalos. "What city did you grow up in?"

"I was born and raised in Vaniville Town. It's a small town in the southeastern portion of Kalos."

"I also grew up in a smaller town in Kanto. But I really like it here in Alola and Hau'oli City. There's a lot to do and it's pretty exciting to be around."

"That's great to hear. We only officially moved here about a week ago, and we've spend most of our time moving in, so we haven't had a chance to visit much of the city, other than go out for groceries," X explained.

"I can introduce you to my friends and maybe we can all get together with you and Yvonne and do something this weekend!" Moon suggested enthusiastically.

X grinned. "That would be great."

The bell rang, and Moon saw a tall and very skinny blonde man with glasses enter their classroom. By his appearance, he had to be a science teacher of some sort. He introduced himself as Mr. Molayne before taking roll call and handing out their locks for their lockers. After general announcements and a welcome back to school message on the TV in the corner of the classroom, the bell rang. Students stood up and left to head to their first period class. Moon and X had different schedules, but had lockers next to each other, and agreed to meet up at the end of the day.

The first day was a whirlwind. At lunchtime, Moon was glad to have a chance to stop at her locker and drop off some of the heavy textbooks she had accumulated during her morning classes. She saw Lillie during world history, and Hau during Math. She, Hau and Lillie had the same lunch period, and found each other in the cafeteria. Moon told them about X and Yvonne, and they agreed to the idea of showing the twins around the city this upcoming weekend. Hau said Sun had soccer practice right after school, but he would pass on the information.

After last period, Moon headed to her locker. X was already there, organizing his books and notebooks in front of his locker.

"Hi X! How was your day?" Moon asked.

X smiled. "A bit overwhelming but fun. The students here are so friendly. I made some more friends throughout the day."

"That's awesome!"

After finishing, Moon and X headed to the front courtyard. X had texted his sister to also meet them there. When they arrived, Hau and Lillie were waiting for them. Moon introduced X to her friends. She noticed that X seemed taken in by Lillie, though it wasn't noticed by Hau. Moon hoped this didn't lead to some rivalry down the line.

A carmel haired girl with grey eyes tapped X on the shoulder. Turning, X grinned at her. "All, this is my sister, Yvonne."

"Please call me Vonnie," she said. "It is nice to meet you all."

"So what brought your family to Alola from Kalos? I think that's even more of a distance than Moon coming from Kanto." Hau commented.

"Our mother and father are in the pharmaceutical industry. Maman is a researcher, and Papa is VP of the company on the business side. He is working on some deal with Aether as a senior representative of his company."

Lillie's face paled. Her hands gripped her bookbag handles tightly.

"Aether?" Hau asked. "Never heard of it."

"Aether is a pharmaceutical research company headquartered here in Alola. They specialize in precision medicine - medicine more attuned based on your genetic profile. Our parents' company has some research and technologies that could be beneficial to Aether, so they are here for a multi year stay." Vonnie explained.

Hau wrinkled his nose. "Sounds complex. I'm not a science person by any means, so this goes way over my head."

Moon felt a light tap on her head. She turned to see Gladion standing behind her.

"Hey," Moon greeted him.

"Oh, this is Gladion, Lillie's older brother." Hau told X and Vonnie.

X was eyeballing Gladion wearily. Moon speculated he realized he would have to deal with Gladion if he wanted to pursue Lillie. Vonnie was smiling politely, but her eyes were disapproving. Based on Vonnie's general air, Moon guessed Gladion's edgy aura was not something Vonnie cared for.

"I would have not pegged you two for siblings." X finally spoke up.

Gladion sighed. "Yeah, we get that sometimes." He glanced at Lillie and noticed her distressed state. "Hey, are you okay?"

Hearing Gladion's voice, Lillie's head snapped up. "Oh, Gladion, you're here! Um, I'm sorry, but I remembered something I need to do. I'll see you soon." She rushed off.

Hau frowned. "I wonder why all of a sudden..."

Gladion also looked concerned.

"Well, I guess we should part," Moon said, trying to divert from the awkward atmosphere that was hanging in the air. "I'll see you tomorrow in homeroom, X?"

Gladion now was scrutinizing X. Seeing Gladion's pointed gaze, X nodded nervously, before he and Vonnie headed off.

Moon sighed. "Well, that was awkward." She raised an eyebrow at Gladion. "I'm pretty sure you scared them off. I wonder if they will still want to meet up this weekend."

Hau was on his phone. "Lillie is telling me it to worry about her. She said she just has a lot of homework." He made a face. "I don't quite believe her."

"Me either," Moon admitted.

"I'll try calling her later." Hau sighed. He then grinned. "See you guys!" He waved before running off.

"Does that kid ever walk?" Gladion commented.

Moon laughed. "I swear he had limitless energy." They walked toward the bus stop. "How was your day?"

Gladion rolled his eyes. "The usual. Yours?"

"Fun, I guess." Moon shrugged. She smirked. "The usual."

The bus was crowded and there were no seats available. Moon gripped onto a metal pole and Gladion held on to a bar attached to the ceiling of the bus. As the bus made its way back to the Hau'oli Outskirts, it hit a bump, causing Moon to lose her balance. Gladion reached for her, stopping her from falling completely. He wrapped his free arm around her waist to keep her steady.

"Thanks." Moon blushed. It had been a long time since she was this close to Gladion, and she had forgotten what it was like. For some reason, the touch of his arm around her waist sent a tingly feeling up her spine, and she felt her heart speed up. Why was Gladion having this affect on her?

Indeed, it had been a while since they had essentially been body to body. Gladion was looking out the window to distract his thoughts. Between his arm around Moon's waist and her body pressed up against his, he noticed how softer Moon felt in his arm, not to mention how her body had matured. He watched the passing cars to think other thoughts and soon the bus reached their stop. Gladion quickly dropped his arm from Moon's waist, and Moon headed to the bus exit. He followed her, and they walked back to Moon's house in silence, lost in their own thoughts.

After unlocking the door and getting inside, they removed their shoes, and headed to their respective bedrooms. As Moon changed and pulled out her books from her bookbag, her mind wandered. She never quite felt herself react this way to Gladion. Okay, she had inadvertently kissed him back in surprise and didn't immediately pull away from that time when he unknowingly gave her a hickey. But she never felt the weird feelings she experienced when she was in his arm on the bus. It wasn't as if she didn't see him every day. So what had changed? Or did nothing change and she was imagining it all? Maybe it was simply because they hadn't spend much time hanging out this past year.

Meanwhile in his bedroom, Gladion still felt the touch of Moon on the arm that he had wrapped around her and against his body. He thought he had managed to put those feelings to rest. But it seemed like he failed. One moment of contact, and bam, back to square one. After changing, he lay on his bed for a few minutes, staring up at the ceiling, his right forearm across his forehead. He had tested himself by purposely hanging out with Team Skull more and less with Moon and the others. At first, it was tough, especially given what numbskulls some of the members were, and he had little patience for idiocy. But over time, the feeling of emptiness had been quelled. He had seen Moon as a housemate, maybe family even, nothing more.

And then today happened. Dammit.

Gladion got up from his bed feeling restless and headed into the kitchen to grab a snack. He glanced in the direction of Moon's bedroom and saw the door was closed. She was likely being studious and working on homework - typical of her. He wasn't going to interrupt her. Taking a bite of an apple, he headed back to his own bedroom to do his assigned work. Only reading and around twenty math problems. Easy. When he was done, he stood up and stretched. He headed out of his bedroom to find Moon's mom home, cooking dinner. He glanced around.

"Moon's on the roof." Moon's mom spoke up.

Gladion still didn't understand how she was okay with her daughter on top of the roof every now and then. He and Lillie would never have the same freedom. Shaking his head, Gladion put on his sneakers and headed outside. Walking to the side of the house, he climbed up the ladder to find Moon sitting on the roof, looking toward Ten Carat Hill and the ocean. It was still warm out and the sun still up in the sky. A few clouds drifted by, but the skies were mostly clear.

"Hey," Gladion said.

"Hey," Moon greeted back. She looked conflicted about something.

He sat down next to her, careful to not be so close that he was touching her. They sat silently, watching the breeze make patterns in the grass and the ocean waves crash along the rocky shore.

"The roof exit is secured at the school." Gladion spoke up, breaking the silence. "I guess too many kids were going up there and causing trouble."

Moon turned to him, and gave him a smile. "So where do you go to skip class?"

Gladion scoffed. "I'm better about it now. But I can show you tomorrow before school if you like. It's not a good place for photography though."

The two went silent again. Moon's thoughts shifted to X and Vonnie. At first, she was open to becoming friends with X. Now, she wasn't so sure. She had this inkling that something bad could happen if she got too close with them, which made no sense to her. Maybe it was Lillie's strange behavior that put some doubt in her head? But there was no proof Lillie's behavior was due to the twins themselves. Moon sighed.

Gladion looked at her curiously. Feeling his gaze, Moon looked back at him and smiled to reassure him it was nothing.

"Moon! Gladion! Dinner is ready!"

Gladion and Moon stood up and headed down the ladder, with Gladion going first. When Moon was only a couple of rungs from the ground, she felt Gladion lift her by the waist before setting her on her feet. Moon blushed at the lingering feeling of his hands on her waist. She murmured her thanks without looking at him in the eye before heading indoors.

After dinner, Moon turned on the TV. Gladion joined her. It was the usual inane world news broadcast. Seeing Moon wasn't really paying attention, he spoke up.

"So what was with you and Sun this morning?"

Moon glanced at Gladion. "I told you before, he was busy with soccer this summer, so I didn't see him much."

"But you two didn't even text?" Gladion questioned.

Moon flushed a bit. "Like I said, he was busy." She muttered.

Gladion crossed his arms. "You're lying."

Moon glared at him. "What business is it of yours anyway? So we didn't hang out or talk much this summer. Big deal."

Considering he was one of Moon's first friends, and they were pretty close prior to this summer, yeah, it was a big deal. It was clear Moon didn't want to talk about it. Maybe that got into some spat over something? He couldn't imagine Sun getting into a fight with Moon though. Unless...

"Did you break his heart?" Gladion asked. Seeing Moon's guilty face, he knew he was spot on. Wait, when did this even happen? So that means likely Sun told her how he felt, and she rejected him? He was a bit surprised, though relieved. He figured Moon would at least give Sun a chance, given her personality. Or maybe she had but it ended badly or quickly?

"We're past it now. So let's not talk about it anymore," Moon said quietly.

Gladion wondered if Lillie heard about it at all. She never mentioned anything to him though, unless Moon swore her to secrecy. He reached out and patted Moon on her head. "I'm sorry."

She sighed. "Thanks. I kept beating myself up all summer over it. Because I felt guilty for not feeling guilty. I know I hurt Sun, but I also never liked him in that way either." Moon drew her knees into her chest and hugged them. "I'm sure he'll find someone, though. He really is a nice person."

Gladion wondered if that new kid had an interest in Moon.

"I hope a love rivalry doesn't start." Moon stated.

"Huh?"

"The new kid, X...it looked like he formed a crush on Lillie. Though Hau is as oblivious as always."

"What did you say?" Gladion snarled.

Moon looked in surprise at Gladion, then smirked. "Calm down, big brother. I'm sure Lillie can judge for herself."

Gladion frowned. "I don't know about that." Great, now he had two douchebags after his little sister.

Moon leaned her head on Gladion's shoulder. "What are you doing?" Gladion asked, blushing.

Moon continued to watch the TV. "Relaxing."

Well, he couldn't relax with Moon's head touching him. At least, he was having difficulty getting his heart rate to slow down.

Moon yawned. "I just feel comfortable around you. I guess I trust you."

"Thanks?"

Moon rolled her eyes. "It was a compliment. Do you have work this week yet?"

"Yeah, Friday night and Saturday afternoon."

"That stinks. If we still hang out with X and Vonnie, I guess you won't be able to join us."

"Not interested anyway. I could tell they didn't like me."

Moon sat up and turned to face Gladion. "Because you put up defenses all the time. If you didn't put the scary, I'm emo, get the hell away from me front on all the time, people would be more willing to get to know you. Most people aren't like Hau who tends to become friends with everyone."

Gladion scoffed. Unknown to Moon, around this time, Gladion had given up. Even though he tried not to cave, he liked when Moon gave him attention. He liked when he spent time with her, more than any other person. It wasn't as if he also didn't know her eccentricities, like hanging out on roofs or her bad habit of staying in PJs all day if she was at home on weekends. And they actually did get along well. 

Screw it. He was going back to his old ways of teasing her.

"I don't put defenses up with you most of the time."

"I know you don't." Moon smiled. Though she'd never say it aloud, Gladion was really a kind person once he dropped his emo boy act.

Gladion internally face palmed. His intention was clearly missed. Typical Moon. He wanted to get a blush out of her. Gladion eyed the kitchen. Moon's mom must have gone to her bedroom. He leaned in and gave Moon a kiss. He noticed she didn't pull back. And Moon didn't because it had been a while since Gladion had kissed her, and she forgot what his lips felt like. She felt her heart speed up as he intensified the kiss for a moment before ending it.

Moon's cheeks were flushed. She needed a cover up. "That was dangerous. What if my mom saw?"

"Huh? No, 'what was that for'?" Gladion smirked.

Moon rolled her eyes. "I think I just expect that you randomly will kiss me." That was true. "The concern that my mom was going to see was my biggest worry anyway."

"So, if your mom wasn't around, I could kiss you more often?"

Moon turned redder. "That's not what I was implying." She suddenly stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Inside the bathroom, Moon peered at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were still flushed, and her eyes looked excited. It was apparent Gladion was back to his teasing ways all of a sudden. It had been, what, a year or more? And as annoying it could be at times, she was happy. This meant that maybe that distant feeling she experienced between her and Gladion would go away. She remembered the challenge Lillie had issued her back before their stink as fake boyfriend and girlfriend. Lillie said she believed Moon was the only one who could make Gladion flustered. She had forgotten about it, since Gladion's teasing had been non-existent for the past year. While Moon was not into sports, she did like a good challenge and could be quite competitive. She smiled at herself in the mirror.

Looked like the contest Gladion had unknowingly began has resumed. Game on.


	12. Love and Rivalry

On Saturday, Moon eventually woke up on her own terms. She finished her homework last night since Gladion was working, and she had plans for today. She, Hau and Sun were going to meet up with X and Vonnie and give them a tour around the city, but like how Hau and Sun gave Moon a tour when she first arrived. Moon reached for her phone to see it was almost eleven. They were going to meet X and Vonnie at their house around one, go get lunch, and then wander around Hau'oli City. They had invited Lillie too, but she declined. Gladion started work at one, so he was out, not that he seemed interested in going.

She stretched and got out of bed. She exited her bedroom to find Gladion on the couch, reading a book. Moon glanced around, but her mom must have been out. She typically went grocery shopping on Saturday mornings. 

Moon headed over to where Gladion was sitting and gave him a kiss on the cheek from behind. "Morning, sweetie."

Gladion smirked at her. "Morning, Luna-bean." 

Moon walked around the couch and sat down next to him. "What are you reading?"

Gladion made a face. "A book for English."

"Not good?" Moon peeked at the cover. "Catcher in the Rye?"

"You'll probably have to read it next year."

"Great." Moon said sarcastically. She actually disliked English a lot. She found interpreting the symbolism and writing essays on it incredibly boring. She still got B's in English, but in all her other classes, she always got A's. Her stomach growled at her. 

"Hungry a bit?" Gladion commented.

Moon moaned. "I am. But I'm eating lunch in about two hours, so I don't want to ruin my appetite."

"Then eat a snack."

Moon made a face. "I need to watch my weight."

Gladion gave her a look. "Seriously? Please don't tell me you are going to become one of those girls."

Moon pouted. "There's nothing wrong with not overeating."

Suddenly, Gladion grabbed Moon's left wrist. His hand easily wrapped around her wrist. "You're skinny enough. Eat a snack."

However, Moon was refusing to budge. Gladion got up and headed into the kitchen. He rummaged in the pantry, and came back with a packaged Hostess Ho Ho. He dangled it in front of Moon's face. "Eat."

"Ew, no. Why did you pick one of the unhealthiest snacks in the house? I don't even know why Mom bought them."

Gladion unwrapped the Ho Ho and broke it in half, stuffing it into Moon's mouth.

Moon coughed, and got up to grab a napkin. She spit the Ho Ho into it. "Why did you do that?" She threw out the napkin and joined Gladion back on the couch.

"You were being ridiculous."

Moon eyed the remaining half of the Ho Ho Gladion had placed on the coffee table. Grabbing it, she quickly smashed it into Gladion's face.

Gladion glared at her. "What the hell?" He took a piece that fell onto his lap and promptly smashed it into Moon's face.

Moon tried to be angry, but seeing Gladion's cake covered face, she started laughing instead. Pieces of chocolate cake were stuck on his cheeks and chin, along with white cream. He looked absolutely ridiculous. Her laughter grew, and she found herself doubling over.

At first, Gladion was angry at Moon. He had already taken a shower, and now he was going to have to wash his face again before he left for work. But Moon's laughter was infectious, and he found himself calming down, even chuckling a bit. He supposed he deserved it, forcing the Ho Ho into Moon's mouth to begin with. 

Gladion wiped a piece of cake and frosting off his cheek with his hand. "Great, I need to wash my face now."

"You need help?" Moon asked. Before Gladion could ask what she meant, Moon picked up his one hand, and sucked the cake off his index finger. He turned beet red and muttered, "No, I can do it myself" before heading to the bathroom. Moon smirked at his retreating figure, and made a finger gun with her right hand, pretending to blow off the smoke after firing it.

In the bathroom, Gladion was washing his hands and splashing cold water on his face. He did not expect Moon to do that. Did she even know the interpretation of such a gesture? Grabbing a washcloth from the drawer, he wiped the remaining cake off his face. He checked his reflection, and saw his cheeks were still flushed. Moon was really upping her game recently in the flirting (Gladion assumed it was flirting) department. The other day when he showed her the mezzanine he would sneak to when skipping class, Moon suddenly wrapped her arms around him, and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear if any couples would hang out here. Then yesterday before he left for work, Moon had asked him to help her with getting a cup from a shelf beyond her reach, and while he reached up to grab it, she snuck her arms around him from behind, moving her hands underneath his shirt. Thankfully, the cup was plastic, or else he would have had one very shattered cup on the kitchen floor. He didn't know what to take from it all. Was she simply teasing him? Testing him? Did she like him?

Gladion got out of the bathroom to hear Moon rustling in her bedroom. He walked over to stand outside of the door and found her getting clothes together. Sensing his presence, Moon looked back. "Oh, you're done? I'm going to take a quick shower." Holding her clothes, she walked out of her bedroom and grabbed a towel from the linen closet. "I'll only be a few." Moon wanted to add, "Unless you want to join me" but opted not to. Her limit was one major teasing a day for now. And if she made that remark, there was always the chance Gladion would come back with something more embarrassing that would make her flustered, and she needed to win this game.

Well, that was a lot more average behavior, Gladion thought as he headed to the kitchen. The flirting behavior was pretty sporadic. It wasn't all the time. Just here and there. So it was hard for him to determine Moon's end game.

After finishing her shower and getting ready, Moon stepped out to find Gladion in the kitchen cooking. He had actually become a decent cook with Moon's help. Something that smelled good was frying in a skillet. "What are you cooking?" Moon asked.

"Chicken. Going to make some quesadillas."

"Cool." Moon glanced at her phone. It was noon. She was going to have to catch a bus soon to give her enough time to meet Hau in Hau'oli City and walk to X and Vonnie's house. When she looked up, Gladion was holding a fork with a piece of chicken on it in front of her face. Moon took the fork and ate the chicken. It was seasoned with a mix of garlic, peppers and something else. "It's good," Moon told him after swallowing. "I'm going to get going. I'll see you later." She began to leave, when Gladion grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. He spun her around so she faced him, and he gave her a kiss.

"Have fun." Gladion smirked at her.

Moon rolled her eyes. He (well her too) would never pull this stuff off if her mom was home. So Saturday mornings were a bit open season. Moon half waved before leaving the house.

After reaching Hau'oli City, she, Hau and Sun walked to X and Vonnie's house. It was in a newer area of the city. Hau explained to Moon that with the recent growth of the area, there was demand for bigger and more upscale housing by some more wealthier newcomers. Moon's mouth nearly dropped at seeing their place from the outside. It was in a townhouse complex, but each townhouse was fairly large and was fully made of brick on the outside. A black iron fenced lined the front of the house. It just looked expensive.

The three made their way to the piece and rang the doorbell. Soon, X answered the door. "Hey there!" He grinned. "Come in for a few minutes. Vonnie is still getting ready."

The three entered. The front foyer was huge, and the ceiling was higher than Moon had ever seen in a home. The floors were marble, and there was a large amount of natural light steaming in. It was decorated in a modern style, and did not have personal possessions randomly scattered like in her own home.

Seeing Moon's expression, X smiled. "Maman has the typical European mindset when it comes to decor and minimalism. I personally would like something more homey."

Vonnie soon came down the stairs. She was dressed in an off shoulder blouse and a multi tired asymmetrical ruffled skirt. "Sorry for taking so long."

Hau shook his head. "No problem. Oh, this is Sun. I'm not sure if you guys met already in classes or not."

Sun nodded. "X and I have math and biology at together." He approached Vonnie. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Vonnie replied.

"Okay, shall we?" Hau grinned. The five headed out of the house.

"We decided to take you to a restaurant that offers traditional Alolan faire. It's a buffet, but they offer the biggest variety of Alola cuisine in Hau'oli City." Hau told them as they walked.

Moon noticed X seemed to be looking for someone. "Lillie couldn't make it," she told him.

X blushed briefly. Moon congratulated herself on being spot on. "How could you tell?" He asked.

Moon didn't exactly want to go into her love life. "I had an inkling."

X glanced at the others who were a bit further ahead. Vonnie was chatting happily with Sun and Hau. "Does Lillie have a boyfriend?"

Moon took a moment to decide how to respond. "She doesn't, but I do think there is something between her and Hau, though both are too shy to do anything about it."

"Hmm," X looked thoughtful. "I'm not shy."

Great. This was totally going to be a battle. Moon didn't want to be rude to her new friend, but she also felt a bit defensive of Hau.

"Your boyfriend couldn't make it?"

"Huh?" Moon looked confused. "My boyfriend?"

X's eyebrows knitted. "Isn't Lillie's brother your boyfriend?"

"No!" Moon said a bit too loudly. Calming herself, she continued more softly. "A lot of people get that impression apparently though. Our relationship is...complicated."

"In what way?"

That was a good question. How exactly was it complicated, living together in the same house aside? In general, Moon supposed they acted like two friends would. But then there was the random acts of teasing to see who could fluster the other one more. She supposed if anyone saw them in such a moment, they would interpret it as flirting. But it wasn't - it was a competition, at least in Moon's mind. They sort of went on one date, back when Moon was acting as his fake girlfriend. And she supposed friends didn't randomly kiss each other like she and Gladion did. At least not the more intense kisses like she and Gladion had shared on occassion. But as far as Moon saw it, they were not dating, nor did she think she liked Gladion in that way.

Scratch that. It was complicated, and not something Moon felt like explaining.

"A story for another time," she said. Noticing Moon didn't elaborate, X nodded politely and didn't prod any further.

The five soon reached the restaurant. After being seated at a table, a waiter came by the take their drink orders.

"Alright." Hau rubbed his hands together. "Let the expert in Alola cuisine guide you through what to get."

Sun scoffed. "I'm probably as much of an expert as you are."

Hau gave Sun a look. "Mmm, I'm not sure about that."

Moon rolled her eyes. "How about Sun take X around and Hau take Vonnie around?" The last thing she wanted to do was put Hau together with X, if there was going to be a love rivalry. Moon went around the buffet line, picking up some lomi salmon, white rice, squid luau and a salad. She was back at their table first, and waited for them to get back before she started eating.

Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see an older teenager with blue hair grinning at her. He was dressed in black and had a skull necklace on. "Remember me?"

Moon have him a cold glare. "No."

"What? Aww, c'mon! Seriously? I recognized you!"

"Evan." A familiar voice said. Moon saw Plumeria approach them. "Back off from her. Last thing we need is to be kicked out of this restaurant when Guzma went to the trouble of treating you bunch of idiots."

Evan muttered something, before heading off in a different direction. Moon sighed, and then noticed Plumeria looking at her.

"Have we met before?" She asked.

That's right. The only time she met Plumeria was when she was disguised as Gladion's fake girlfriend. Moon smiled as sweetly as she could. "I don't think so."

"Hmm." Plumeria looked at Moon one more time before shrugging and heading off in the same direction as Evan.

"Who was that?" Moon turned to see Hau and Vonnie had returned to the table.

"No one important," Moon replied. "Are Sun and X still looking?"

Hau nodded. "Sun is being ridiculous in trying to prove he knows the most. He needs to just let X pick his food so he can eat."

Moon laughed. "What's the score at?"

"I'm winning by two now. So Sun is feeling pressure." Hau grinned.

Vonnie looked between the two, puzzled. "Score?"

"Ah, sorry." Hau laughed. "Sun and I have known each other for years, and we have a little game where we keep track of who wins, well, anything. It can be scoring higher on a test or waking up earlier on a Saturday, or anything. So with the current score, I'm leading by two."

Vonnie laughed. "You two are really close friends, aren't you?"

Hau nodded. "Tried and true."

Vonnie turned to Moon. "I'm sorry we didn't have a chance to really talk much yet. X told me you are in the same homeroom as him, which is how you first met. He mentioned you moved here from Kanto?"

Moon nodded. "Yes. After my dad passed away, Mom and I needed a scenery change. She worked for Dr. Oak, a research scientist in Pallet Town, and he hooked her up with Dr. Kukui. Apparently, mom and him are distant, distant cousins, which we only found out later."

Vonnie looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry about your father."

Sun and X finally joined the table again. Sun's plate was heaped with food. Moon gawked. "Are you seriously going to eat all that?"

Sun grinned. "I'm a growing boy. Plus with soccer practice, I burn through calories like mad."

"Oh, you play football?" Vonnie looked interested.

"Football?" Hau made a face.

"In Kalos, soccer is known as football," X explained.

"Hmm, I guess that makes sense, since you mainly use your feet." Hau commented.

"Yes, I've played since I was young. Hau used to play to, but he quit a few years ago." Sun told them. "I'm hoping to get a sports scholarship when I head to college, so I keep at it."

"He's good, too." Hau added.

"Thanks, dude." Sun and Hau bumped fists.

"Moon, what are your interests?" Vonnie asked.

"I like to take photos. I have a ton of photography equipment that was my dad's." Moon told them.

"Her pictures are pretty good too. She goes to crazy lengths to get good ones, like climbing onto roofs." Hau chuckled.

Moon lighted punched him in his arm.

Vonnie looked interested. "You know, I think the president of Aether is looking to hire a photographer for some sort of promotional report. I heard it from Papa. It would be great to start to get your foot in the door if you are really serious about photography."

Moon looked doubtful. "I can't see a big corporation like Aether hiring a fourteen year old. I'm sure they rather hire a seasoned professional."

X was shaking his head. "Please ignore my sister. She can sometimes get crazy ideas in her head."

"Moon, if you don't mind me asking...how did you end up with such an emo guy for a boyfriend?" Vonnie asked.

Moon nearly choked on her food. Hau's eyes widened. "What, you two are dating now?"

After swallowing her food, Moon shook her head. "No, we aren't dating."

"Oh." Vonnie looked unconvinced. "It felt like you two were."

"Well, they do have a weird relationship, given they live together." Hau grinned.

Moon nearly head desked into her food. "Hau! Watch how you say that! It could totally be taken the wrong way." Turning to Vonnie and X, she explained, "Gladion was in a bit of a pinch, so Mom offered him a room to stay at our house a couple of years ago."

X frowned. "So, does Lillie also live with you?"

Moon shook her head. "No, she lives with Dr. Kukui."

"We don't ask," Sun interjected. "They haven't said much about it, so we haven't pried."

"I see," X said. The five of them sat in silence for a minute.

"Well," Hau began, breaking the awkward silence. "Are you guys wanting more, or are you ready to get some Alola dessert?"

"Oh, lord." Moon and Sun both said in unison.

After they finished eating, they left the restaurant, and Hau led them to Hau'oli City's malasada bakery.

"So they are donuts?" Vonnie looked at the display case.

"Donuts? Pffft. They are better than donuts. They are malasadas!" Hau declared.

"Hau is a bit passionate when it comes to malasadas," Sun explained to X.

Moon gave Hau a look. "I'll never forget how you got me a gift certificate for malasadas for my birthday and when I got a dozen, you ate all but two."

"But you said you would share!" Hau whined.

After picking their malasadas, the group headed out onto the walkway that led to the beach. Moon noted that Vonnie seemed to be sticking close to Sun, smiling and laughing a lot. She wondered if Vonnie developed a crush on Sun. She wasn't sure how the two would be together, but Vonnie seemed nice in general.

They soon reached the beach. X was smiling widely. "Now this is a beach! We lived close to the coast, but it was rather rocky and definitely was not a white sand beach like this is." He turned to his sister. "We definitely need to get Papa and Maman here some weekend."

Vonnie nodded enthusiastically. "It would be a good way for them to relax. They have been under a bit of pressure on this task of forming a partnership with Aether," she explained to Moon, Hau and Sun.

X pulled off his shoes and ran to the shoreline where the waves reached. He whooped when the tide came crashing in, splashing water up on his feet and legs. "The water feels great! Vonnie, come over here!"

"I don't want to get my skirt wet. It's brand new," Vonnie complained.

X rolled his eyes. "Just hold it up above your knees. And if it gets wet, who cares? Just wash it."

Moon also kicked off her shoes and went running to join X. Hau and Sun did the same. Seeing she was the only one left, Vonnie sighed before smiling and joining them.

Vonnie yelped a bit when the waves came crashing it. "It's so strong!" She swirled her feet in the water before it receded. "But it does feel nice. I'm surprised how warm it is!"

"It won't start getting a bit colder til December, January. Still it's warm enough to hang out at the beach, even if you don't want to go swimming," Hau said. He suddenly grinned mischievously. When a wave came crashing in, he leaned down and splashed Moon with water.

"Hau!" Moon yelled. She quickly leaned down to splash him back. However, her aim was off, and she got Sun instead. "Whoops."

X grinned, and when the next wave came in, he leaned down and splashed his sister.

"Xavier!" Vonnie yelped. "Now I'm soaked."

X laughed. "You are not soaked, Vonnie. You're just a bit wet."

Vonnie pouted and started walking toward her brother when another large wave came crashing in, throwing her off balance. She grabbed onto Sun's shirt, pulling him down with her, before she fell on her bottom with Sun sprawled across her lap.

"Now, you are soaked." X couldn't help but dig in.

"Ah, I'm so sorry, Sun!" Vonnie apologized, blushing a bit. "I didn't mean to pull you down with me."

Sun's hair was wet, as was the front of his shirt and shorts. "It's okay." He then smirked at Vonnie, before he lighted splashed her in the face.

"Hey!" Vonnie squealed, before splashing him back.

Moon glanced at X, who was smiling at the two. "You okay with this?" She asked.

X turned to Moon. "I'm not the crazy protective brother type. Plus Vonnie was born first, actually a day ahead of me, since she was born before midnight, and I was born after midnight, so she's older. Plus Vonnie is too stubborn to listen to me anyway when it comes to romance and whatnot. She believes she's the expert in it all."

Moon continued to watch the two splash each other. "I can see that."

Hau, oblivious to what was going on, was simply laughing. "Man, you two! Now we can't go anywhere else if you are both soaked like this." He turned to X and Moon. "I guess that ends our day. I hope you had fun though."

X nodded. "I did. Thank you so much for doing this. I hope we can hang out again soon."

Hau grinned, placing his hands behind his head. "Of course!"

Meanwhile, Gladion had arrived home. He saw Moon's mom sitting at the kitchen table with a few small boxes in front of her and a photo album.

"Oh, Gladion, welcome back home. Moon's still out. How was work?"

"Nothing exciting." He didn't mind Moon's mom. She kind of reminded him of the cool aunt that didn't act all motherly and reprimanded you if you did something your own mother would freak out about.

"I'm just reminiscing here. Would you like to see some pictures of Moon when she was younger?" 

"I guess." Actually, maybe Gladion would get some material to tease Moon about later. He sat down at the table.

"Here's Moon when she was a baby. She always stuck close to her father. She was very much a daddy's girl."

Gladion looked at the photo. He couldn't really tell it was Moon, given she was so young, but she had quite chubby cheeks for a baby. He found himself focusing more on Moon's father. Dressed in a t-shirt and ripped jeans, he also was wearing a black cuffed bracelet and looked like he had multiple ear piercings in the ear Gladion could see.

Noticing Gladion looking at the picture, Moon's mom smiled. "Moon's dad was quite the punk type when I first met him in undergrad. He had grown out of most of it by the time Moon came around. I think I have a photo of him from those days somewhere." She rummaged though a box. "Ah here!" She handed Gladion a picture. It was Moon's mom, but younger, and she was standing next to a man with spiked hair dyed red, and dressed in plaid bondage pants, a black t-shirt and a leather jacket decorated with safety pins. He also had a lock necklace on, and his lip was pieced as well.

Gladion couldn't help by be surprised by the difference. "How did you two end up together?"

Moon's mom laughed. "Despite his punk style, Moon's dad was a very nice person and a great conversationalist. I suppose I was able to look past his outward appearance and focus on the person on the inside. Though my parents weren't too thrilled, to put it lightly, the first time I brought him home." 

"Is that why you let me live with you?" Gladion asked. He knew a lot of people automatically judged him by his outer appearance.

"Partly, yes. I don't judge people by how they dress. I look beyond that, and I simply saw a kid who was trying hard to support himself and his sister, and could probably use a bit of support."

Gladion smiled. "I appreciate everything you have done."

"You're welcome." Moon's mom began gathering the pictures up. "I don't want Moon seeing these. Actually, she doesn't know about her father's more wild days."

"Why is that?" Gladion asked.

Moon's mom smiled knowingly. "I guess you can call it curiosity, given my science background, and how I like to conduct experiments. Moon is a lot more like her dad, personality-wise, than me. She loves her photography like him, and has this creative mind like him that I can't even wrap my mind around. I guess I'm curious if Moon may go this route on her own, without being influenced by seeing that her father was like this. If she saw these pictures, she would undoubtedly start dressing differently, to be like her dad on purpose. So I want to see how it all works out."

Gladion chuckled a bit. "You are a strange mother, no offense."

Moon's mom smiled as she closed the lid on one box. "I like to work outside the box. Call it what you want." She stood up. "I was thinking we could order pizza for tonight. Sound good to you?"

Gladion nodded. "As long as there's one with pineapple on it."

Moon's mom laughed. "Odd choice for a topping, but sure. If Moon's hungry once she gets home, we can order then." She headed to her bedroom with the boxes.

Gladion sat in his chair, thinking. He wondered if Moon's flirtatious personality came from her dad. He speculated it likely, since Moon's mom looked pretty straight laced in the photo he saw of her, and even it she was a bit strange in her parenting ways, he didn't get the impression that she made the first move with Moon's father. Punk, huh. He supposed that was popular back in the late 90s and early 2000s. He didn't particularly have an interest in that genre, but he also never listened to it much either. Now he was curious himself if Moon would eventually lean more towards an edgier style than her current wardrobe. Too bad he didn't have an excuse of a gift giving holiday anytime soon to purposely buy Moon a piece of jewelry or clothing that was more edgy. He found himself a bit impatient at the idea. Having seen Moon once pull off the edgier style, and quite well mind you, back when she acted as his fake girlfriend, he knew she would look damn good in that style if she did go that route.

Gladion was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Moon's arrival home. He found himself bonked lightly on the head, and looked up to see Moon.

"I said 'hi" like five times, but you were off in lala land," Moon said.

"Ah, yeah." He then noticed Moon's clothes looked like that were a bit damp. "Did you go swimming?"

Moon shook her head. "Not technically. Hau started a splashing war of sorts when we were at the beach."

"Now, I'm glad I didn't go," Gladion said dryly, crossing his arms.

Moon shook her head in amusement, and headed to her bedroom.

Hearing Moon arrive, her mom stepped out of her bedroom to greet her. "Pizza tonight, sweetie. What do you want?"

"The usual," Moon replied.

Moon's mom went to the kitchen to make the phone call to the pizzeria. She glanced at Gladion and back at Moon. As a mother, she knew something was going on between the two, but clearly nothing far along enough for them to be official yet. She was partly hoping to nudge Gladion a bit in getting a move-on, since she knew her daughter was still struggling with her emotions after her father's death. It was more than obvious to her that Gladion liked her daughter. But as for Moon...well, she needed a bit of a nudge. Moon's mother couldn't help but be amused by this little experiment of hers. And she was very curious to see what the results would be.


	13. Photographer

As the school year progressed, Moon soon found herself busy. She joined the school newspaper and yearbook as a photographer, which meant also attending a lot of after school or weekend events to take photos. She didn't mind though, because it gave her opportunities to meet a lot of students in the school she didn't meet simply through classes. One such person was Acerola, whom Moon met at the Spring festival in seventh grade. She was a senior and part of the anime club at school. While Moon was never much into anime, she was happy to meet the friendly goth girl again, and they had a fun conversations about going to Hau'oli City High. Acerola was great about giving her advice regarding navigating her way through high school.

"Mr. Pryce is the worse," Acerola was telling her one day after school when Moon had stopped by to take pictures for yearbook. "He falls asleep while teaching! But the district is having a hard time finding another government teacher, probably because no one wants to teach it, and he refuses to retire. I'm probably going to do horrible on the AP exam only because I'm going to have to teach myself the material."

Moon laughed. She was happy that a senior was so nice and friendly to her, as she had met a few that clearly liked to make obvious the difference between a high and mighty senior and a lowly freshman.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you - is that necklace I've seen you always wear a Swavorski?" Acerola asked.

Moon usually undid her tie once classes were over. She hated how constructing it felt around her neck. She was a bit surprised that her jewelry was that recognizable. "It is. How did you know?"

Acerola smiled a cat like grin. "My aunt is a designer for Swavorski. So I get some prototypes and finished goods every now and then. But in truth, not everything she sends is my style." She grabbed her purse and rummaged through it. "Here, why don't you take this?" She held out a black slack bracelet decorated with a mix of white and grey crystals. "It's too bulky for my wrist, but you're a bit taller than me, plus I think it will balance that bulky black watch you always wear on your left wrist well."

"This was my dad's." Moon smiled sadly. It had come up in a previous conversation about how Moon's dad had passed away. Acerola had lost both of her parents as a baby in a boating accident and was adopted by a family in Alola. She then recovered. "But I can't take your jewelry!"

Acerola shook her head firmly. "No! I insist."

Moon figured it would be better to not argue with the senior. "Thank you," she said as she took the bracelet and wrapped it around her right wrist. Then a thought occurred to her. "Do you always have spare jewelry in your purse to pawn off?"

Acerola just gave her a cat like grin and laughed.

When Moon arrived back at the yearbook club room, she found a couple of the senior staff in a panicked state.

"Oh, Moon, you're back!" One named Chloe said, looking relieved. "We just found out one of our other two photographers has a college visit scheduled over the weekend of homecoming. Can you step in and be a photographer at the event? We were originally going to ask you to only photograph the game, but we are stretched thin now. You'll need to attend both the football game and the dance afterward. It's a Saturday, not this one but the next."

Moon shrugged. "Sure, I don't see why not." She hadn't actually planned on going, since she wasn't a good dancer, but if she was there to take photos, she didn't mind going.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Chloe let out a deep breath. "I have tickets here for you to attend both events. There's a guest ticket if you wish to bring someone with you."

Moon nodded. After leaving, she suddenly realized she had no idea what was the significance of homecoming. Pulling up the contacts on her phone, she called Hau.

"Hey, Moon! What's up?" Hau answered cheerfully.

"Hau! What's homecoming?"

Hau burst out laughing on the other end. "I'm guessing they don't have this in Kanto?"

"No!" Moon whined. "I gathered it involves a football game and dance though."

"Yeah, but it's also a big event for alumni to come back and see the school and catch up with their old classmates too. So the school will have the game during the afternoon with the biggest attendance of any regular season game, then a dance for the students and a reception for the alumni at night."

"So it's going to be super crowded. Hmm, this will be interesting," Moon murmured to herself aloud. This was good to know, especially when taking photos. Working among a crowd would make things tougher.

"Huh?" Hau asked.

"Ah, nothing!" Moon laughed for a moment before going silent. "Ugh, I may have to get a dress, right?"

"Um, probably? Well, you likely don't want to go in just your regular clothes."

Moon groaned. She was saving up for a new lens for her one camera.

"Um, Moon, most kids look forward to this event."

"But I'm going to be working at it, basically! Why do I need to spend money on a dress?" Moon muttered.

"Um, maybe you can talk to Lillie about it. I'm sure she'd like to go shopping with you." Hau tried to calm Moon.

That thought didn't calm Moon down. She loved Lillie dearly, but shopping was one activity she avoided if Lillie was involved. Thankfully, Vonnie was as equally of an enthusiastic shopper as Lillie was, so Moon was able to get off the hook from being Lillie's shopping companion.

"Are you going, Hau?"

"Yeah, with Lillie. And Sun is going with Vonnie."

Sun and Vonnie had gotten closer since spending the day at the beach, but as far as Moon knew, they weren't dating yet. Moon sighed. "I can't see Gladion going with me." She was certain he didn't go last year.

"Ask X then." Hau suggested.

"He's already going with another girl from our homeroom." X had backed off from pursuing Lillie after getting to know Hau better, and realizing how nice of a guy Hau was. And no one had the heart to hurt Hau. Moon glanced at her watch. "I'm still at school. I should be heading home. I have homework to do yet. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Moon!" Hau said cheerfully.

At Moon's house, Gladion was finishing some chemistry homework at the kitchen table instead of in his bedroom. He had two reasons for doing so. For one, the house was quiet with no one home yet, so he didn't need to be holed up in his room. Two, he would know immediately when Moon got home. While he didn't particularly care that Moon joined some clubs, she was out and about more than before, and between her club activities and his work schedule, they actually didn't see each other as much as before. And today Gladion didn't have work, and as far as he knew, Moon didn't have anything once she got home from her club meeting today.

As he was finishing the last problem, he heard the front door open. Looking up, he saw Moon come in, looking a bit annoyed.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Hi," she muttered, removing her shoes. She headed to the table, dropping her bookbag on the floor before sitting down. She propped her chin on her hands.

"Bad day?" He asked.

"Not really." Moon sighed. "I found out I have to go to the homecoming game and the dance afterward for yearbook to take photos, and I really don't want to spend my money on a dress that I'll only wear once. I mean, I probably don't even have to wear a dress, since I'll be working, not dancing or anything, but I'm sure if Lillie finds out I'm going now, she'll insist I wear a dress."

"Well, I don't think you have to, especially if you need to be running around taking photos." Gladion agreed.

Moon sighed again.

"Want me to come with?" He asked.

Moon blinked. "Say what?"

Gladion rolled his eyes. "Isn't it customary to bring a date to a dance? I offered to go with you."

Moon's mouth opened a bit in shock. "I didn't think school dances were your thing."

Gladion made a face. "They aren't. But I'll be with you, so it will be fine."

Moon smiled. "Thanks."

Gladion then noticed the bracelet Moon was wearing. "Where did you get that?"

"Oh this?" Moon glanced at her wrist. "A senior in the anime club gave it to me. Said it wasn't her style, and that she frequently pawns off jewelry she's given to others. Said she thought it was my style."

Gladion glanced at the black wrap bracelet. He wasn't quite sure if one would automatically think it was Moon's style, but it didn't look out of place. "Looks good, Luna-bean."

Moon smirked at bit at the mention of Gladion's pet name for her. It had actually been a while since they competitively flirted with each other, due to not crossing paths all that much. She got up and walked behind where Gladion was sitting, and slowly slid her arms around him. "So you like it, my dear edgelord?" She whispered in his ear.

Gladion felt his heart rate speed up a bit. It had crossed his mind that Moon was possibly playing some sort of game that involved flustering him as much as possible. And well, he wasn't going to lose this little game. He turned his head so he was facing Moon. Reaching up, he stroked her jawline and trailed his fingers down her neck and to her collarbone, where he felt the necklace he gave her. When heard Moon catch her breath, he smirked. Without warning, he crashed his lips onto hers, placing his hand in her hair, preventing her from being able to pull back. Moon fought back, matching the force of his lips against hers, as they kissed passionately. Gladion then switched tactics, and sucked on Moon's lower lip, throwing her off-guard. When she gasped in surprise, Gladion forced his tongue in, licking her tongue, before he pulled back, slowly dropping his hand from her hair.

Moon's face was flushed, and her lips were slightly swollen and red. She had never french-kissed before, so she completely was completely thrown off guard. It occurred to her at that moment he figured out her little game, and he was upping his teasing. He definitely won this round. However, she would never admit it out loud, nor would she admit that she didn't find french-kissing anywhere near as gross as she imagined it would be. Moon huffed in a bored tone as a cover up, and she went to grab her bookbag before heading to her room. "I have homework to do," she announced before closing the door behind her.

Gladion smirked. A few minutes later, Moon's mom arrived home. Seeing Gladion at the table, she greeted him. "Where's Moon?"

"In her bedroom, doing her homework, I think," Gladion replied. "Do you need help with dinner?"

"Actually, yes, that would be great. Thank you. Can you get a pot of water boiling while I get settled? It's going to be a pasta night."

"Sure."

Meanwhile, in her room, Moon threw herself into her math homework. As she went quickly through the easy geometry problems, her mind wandered a bit. Was she going to have to actually look up kissing tactics to beat Gladion now? There was no way she was going to ask anyone for advice. And she was not going to be caught buying a teen magazine or some romance novel either. As she alternated between fuming and doing her math homework, she heard her mom in the kitchen, preparing dinner and chatting with Gladion. She put earphones on to block out the noise so she wouldn't be further distracted. As she was about to move on to the next problem, her phone buzzed, indicating a text from Vonnie.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Gladion set up a large pot of water and pulled a box of thin spaghetti from the cupboard. In truth, he had no idea what he was necessarily doing either when it came to kissing. However, he didn't mind learning on the fly with Moon. On occasion, he came across Team Skull members making out, which was as equally gross as was an unwanted opportunity to learn a bit by observation. Of course, there was no way he was going to exactly mimic them. He was much better than that.

Once dinner was ready, Moon's mom knocked on her daughter's door to let her know. Gladion noted that Moon seemed to be in a better mood than when she first got home. When they were settled and everyone had made their plates up, Moon's mom asked Moon how her day was.

"Okay, I guess. I have to go to the homecoming football game and dance to take pictures for yearbook."

Moon's mom smiled. "Do we need to go shopping for a dress?"

"No. Vonnie texted me that she has a spare dress she can lend me. I'll get it from her this weekend." Moon twirled some pasta on her fork. "Besides, I'll be working most of the time anyway."

"Are you going with someone?" Moon's mom asked, shooting a side glance at Gladion.

"Gladion's going with me to be my gopher." Moon smirked at him. "After all, carrying all this photography equipment will be a pain to do by myself."

Gladion rolled his eyes.

Moon's mom seemed pleased though. "Just be careful, both of you."

The next day in homeroom, Gladion sat at his desk with his earbuds in his ears to drown out the inane chatter of his classmates. He would have gone to the mezzanine, but there were some seniors there who were studying, and he wasn't in the mood to fight the older students. As he glanced at the door, waiting for his homeroom teacher to arrive and shut the other students up, Moon entered, looking around. Gladion removed one earbud as he watched Moon approach one of his classmates whose name he hadn't bothered to learn and say something. Removing the other earbud, he strained to hear their conversation.

"So, I'll need you guys to have your home uniforms on when I drop by this afternoon to take your team picture." Moon was saying.

The one boy smiled at Moon and winked. "Well, you know, you can always drop by our locker room to make sure we're dressed properly."

Gladion felt his skin prickle.

Moon glared at the boy. "No thanks. I'll pass at the thought of having to dwell in a smelly boys' locker room. Just tell your rest of your teammates, and be ready at three-thirty." She caught Gladion's eye and nodded briefly at him before leaving.

"Oooh, shot down, Josh!" Another boy crooned.

Josh punched the boy in the arm. "Shut up."

"Eh, she's only a freshman anyway." The other boy shrugged.

Josh frowned. "I've seen her around in the halls and after school. She doesn't seem to be taken, and she's cute, so why not? She hangs out with the mayor's grandson, so she's probably alright."

Gladion shot daggers with his eyes at Josh. Their homeroom teacher arrived, and the students returned to their seats as the bell rang. Gladion made a mental note to put that kid on his watch list.

After school, Gladion sought out Moon. He headed to the hall where her locker was and found her not alone. That Josh kid was there, clearly annoying Moon by the expression on her face.

"Why don't you go with me to homecoming? I'll just tell Emma to find someone else. We're just friends anyway, so it's not like we were even going as a date to begin with."

"I told you already, I'm going to be working." Moon countered, her voice on edge.

"I'm sure you won't be taking photos the entire time." Josh countered back. "You gotta have fun too. And there's going to be an after party. Why don't we walk to the field together, and I'm sure I can convince you."

As Gladion reached them, Josh made a face. "What is the freak of the sophomores doing here? Get lost, Skull boy. She's way out of your league."

Moon turned to Gladion. "Hey." Her voice was neutral but her eyes clearly said, "A bit of help? Please."

"Hey," Gladion replied back. "You have your camera and whatnot together?"

"Yeah." Moon slung her bookbag over her shoulders. She handed Gladion her tripod.

Josh stared at the two. "Don't tell me you are friends with this freak."

Moon took off her blazer, revealing her watch and black bracelet. She actually liked the power these two items had. She felt like it gave others the impression she had an edge to her. She noticed Josh looking at them. Glaring at him, she asked, "And if I am? What business it is of yours?"

"Then you're not what I thought you were." Josh declared.

Moon's eyes narrowed. She wanted to say something, but then remembered she still had to deal with him today for yearbook pictures. She turned to Gladion. "Let's head down."

As they walked away, Josh shouted after them, "I'll tell everyone you're a freak!"

Gladion looked at Moon and was surprised to see her looking amused. "What an idiot. This is why I hate jocks." Moon chuckled. "Oh, except Sun. He's fine." She turned to Gladion. "Thanks for dropping by."

"Sure." Gladion smirked. "Shall I go with you to the field or wherever you are taking these pictures?"

Moon waved her hand in dismissal. "I doubt he'll pull anything too stupid off since the coach will be there too. But if you really want to..." Moon smirked. "We could give them a good show, right?"

Having a good idea of what Moon was thinking, Gladion smirked back at her. "You know, this could permanently link you to me."

"Good." Moon smiled. She leaned over and gave Gladion a kiss on his cheek. "You're mine anyway."

Gladion stared back at her, his cheeks flushing. Did she just admit that she liked him? Or was this her teasing again?

Moon glanced at her watch. "We should keep moving, or I'll be late."

As they walked, Moon removed her tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt. Gladion loosened his own tie and also unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt. Like Moon, Gladion hated the constriction of having to wear a tie. It reminded him too much of what his mother used to make him wear growing up.

Walking across the back lot of the school, they soon reached the football field. The coach was waiting for Moon. She went up to him and introduced herself. A few members were already dressed. They noted Gladion was there and started whispering among each other. As Moon got her camera equipment prepped, she glanced at Gladion. "You established quite the reputation for yourself, huh?"

Gladion smirked. "Apparently not enough though for the rumors to spread to the freshmen though. I've heard stuff ranging from I'm on hardcore drugs to having killed someone."

Moon rolled her eyes. Having grown up an only child and facing her own bullying, she found such petty talk immature. Soon the rest of the team joined them out on the field by the bleachers. Moon directed them how to organize themselves, and checked that everyone was there. She tossed a couple of footballs to the players, who looked surprised by Moon's throw. "Hold it as a prop." She told them.

After taking multiple group pictures, she then told them to go on the field and just pretend to play. She took some action shots from the distance, using her high zoom lens. After scrolling through the pictures, she was satisfied, and told the coach she was done.

As she worked on getting her equipment packed up, Josh sauntered over with a few teammates. "It's the freak and his freak friend together. Can you believe she dumped me, the JV quarterback, for this lowlife?"

"Maybe she's with Team Skull too. I mean look at her wrists." Another boy commented.

"Or maybe he's just holding her hostage over something. I wouldn't put it past him." Another said.

Ignoring them, Moon finished packing everything up, and handed Gladion her tripod to carry.

"Ready?" Gladion asked.

Moon glanced at him, and they silently exchanged words. Grabbing her camera bag, she nodded. "Let's go."

"She isn't denying that they're friends." A boy commented.

"But bro, I've seen her hanging with the mayor's grandson and that hot blonde, and no way are they freaks."

Moon silently face palmed. She hoped Gladion didn't lose his cool now that they mentioned his sister. She knew though that he and Lillie still kept it under wraps that they were siblings. She glanced at Gladion, and saw him grit his teeth.

Josh approached them. "So what's the deal?" He asked. "Last chance to clarify things."

Moon sighed and turned around to face them. "As I said before, what business is it of yours?"

"Well, unless you want to be classified as a Team Freak as well, as I said, here's your chance to clear it all up," Josh replied.

Moon rolled her eyes. "Fine." She turned toward Gladion and reached her hand up, placing it behind his head as he leaned down to kiss her. The two exchanged an intense kiss as Josh and his teammates watched in shock. Moon had two reasons for doing kissing Gladion in front of this annoying kid. One, she knew there would be no way he would be interested in her if he thought she liked Gladion's edgy emo type. Two, she had heard some rumors from Lillie about some of the girls in Gladion's year whispering that they thought his edgy and aloof personality made him more mysterious and hot. That irked Moon to no end. Even if they weren't together, there was no way some girl who didn't know Gladion as well her getting close to him in that way. Moon wasn't sure if it was jealousy or something else, but she was going to mark her territory regardless. Lucky for her and due to their little game, getting Gladion to agree to kissing her was an afterthought. After they pulled away from each other, Moon glanced at Josh, whose mouth was agape. "Are we clear now?"

Gladion smirked at them, and wrapped his arm around Moon's waist for emphasis. He was a bit surprised that Moon had essentially suggested earlier that they kiss in public in front of other students, but he also didn't want any other boy going after Moon.

When Josh recovered, he looked pissed. "You're screwed up in the head." He turned to his teammates. "C'mon, let's go."

As Gladion and Moon headed to the bus stop, he spoke up. "You know, the athletes here pretty much rule the student body. This is going to spread quickly that we're boyfriend and girlfriend, even though we aren't."

Moon shrugged. "I'm not concerned. Hau and Lillie, and Vonnie and X know us well enough. And my classmates and those I met through yearbook and the school newspaper know me."

Gladion glanced at Moon. He still didn't understand her at times. It was almost as if she purposely liked to stir things up. Grant it, he didn't mind if the other students did think they were together - made him less worried about guys pursuing Moon. Sensing Gladion's gaze, Moon turned to him. "I'm not going to have students at the school talk badly about you. Because you are doing the best you can for you and Lillie."

Gladion felt his heart pound, almost painfully, at Moon's praise. Reaching the bus stop, he leaned his head forward and put it on Moon's shoulder. "You're ridiculous." He muttered, hiding his blush.

Moon gently stroked his head. It reminded him of his mother's touch, before everything happened. He felt himself relax. "I know I am," Moon said softly. The stood quietly for a minute. "Hey, I was thinking...will you also go to the game with me? I don't quite trust that Josh or his teammates won't try to pull something off. Just to be safe."

The bus pulled up, and Gladion lifted his head. "Sure. I am working a morning shift that Saturday instead, since the store doesn't expect much of a crowd once the football game begins."

"Thanks." Moon smiled gratefully. They got on the bus and found seats next to each other. The bus driver smiled to himself as he looked at the two from his mirror. Even though they were visibly a mismatch to many, he had seen them many times interact with each other over the past two years, and thought the two were cute together. He had no idea if they were dating or not, but he silently was rooting for them.


	14. Homecoming

Moon studied herself in front of the full length mirror that hung on the back of her bedroom door. She was fairly certain that this dress was not a "spare" of Vonnie's. It was black, with a lace bodice and short lace underskirt, and had a mock top layer that mimicked a short sleeved coat, with a full skirt that covered all areas but a portion of the front, allowing the lace bodice to peek through. She had questioned Vonnie about it, who simply played coy, and when Moon texted Lillie later that day, Lillie was avoiding her questioning. So she came to the conclusion that Lillie, perhaps in cahoots with Vonnie, bought the dress specifically with Moon in mind, especially after Lillie learned that Moon was going with Gladion.

Moon sighed, and headed to the bathroom to put her make up on. The day was already exhausting. She had not expected the crowd she had encountered to be at the football game. She felt like a fish swimming upstream when all the other fish were heading downstream for spawning season. She was incredibly thankful to Gladion, who helped carry her equipment, and gave dirty stares to anyone that bumped into Moon, scaring them enough that they backed off. They ended up standing in the portion of the field where the photographers from the local newspapers also stood. One named Viola seemed pretty friendly, and Moon learned she was originally from Kalos like X and Vonnie, but was interning at the moment with Hau'oli Times. They chatted a bit during downtimes, and Viola offered Moon advice about what it took to become a photographer with a newspaper. Moon wasn't sure she wanted to go that route, but said she would think about it. Gladion mostly remained silent during the game, and Moon assumed football wasn't his thing.

The crowd was hopping, and it made it equally difficult to get back on the bus to head back to the Hau'oli Outskirts. When they finally were able to get onto a bus, it was chock full of people, and there was standing only room. Gladion wrapped his arm around Moon's waist to help keep her steady while hanging onto a bar attached to the ceiling of the bus. Luckily, most people got off at bus stops within Hau'oli City limits, so by the time the bus turned toward the Outskirts, Gladion and Moon were able to find seats to sit down.

After they arrived home, Moon went to her bedroom to pull the pictures off her camera, so she'd have space to take pictures during the dance. They had a couple of hours before they needed to head back to Hau'oli City for the dance. Moon decided to take a shower, and after finishing, fell on her bed. She didn't know how she was going to last the whole dance. What she did know was she was definitely not wearing heels. She was wearing her Doc Martens, and screw what anyone else said about the matter.

Hearing a knock on her door, Moon told whoever it was to come in and sat up on her bed. Gladion walked in, looking freshly showered himself. He walked over and sat on the end of Moon's bed. "A bit tired?" He asked.

Moon groaned. "Why do people care so much about homecoming? I don't get it. It's just a football game. And a dance. There are other school dances during the year."

Gladion smirked. "But this is your one chance to be homecoming queen. Don't you want that?"

Moon rolled her eyes. "No way in hell will I be voted homecoming queen." As she entered high school, Moon had developed a bad habit of swearing when she was annoyed or tired. "And I have no interest in being homecoming queen anyway. Is it going to get me a college scholarship or win me the lottery? No."

"I'm with you there." Gladion laid across on the end of the bed, his legs hanging off the one side. "I avoided every single dance last year. I think some of the Team Skull members went to various dances, but some got kicked out for bringing booze and dancing inappropriately."

Moon laughed. "I guess I'm fine if the dance has a dinner included. But I can't dance for the life of me, so these dance only dances won't be fun for me."

Gladion turned his head to look at Moon. It was moments like this that he appreciated. He was here, strictly relaxing and able to not worry about the many stresses he often was consumed with. Well, there were still some unfinished business, but he would get to that once the right time came. Now if only he could get Moon to actually like him, and not simply play this game of hers with him, life would be pretty good.

Noticing Gladion was studying her, Moon blushed a bit. With his freshly washed hair falling against her comforter and him laying across her bed, she couldn't help but think he looked sexy, and she badly wanted to kiss him, and not simply to make him flustered. Inwardly, Moon shook her head and scolded herself for thinking such thoughts. Besides, it wasn't as if Gladion liked her that way, nor did she expect him to ever feel that way. She knew he was thankful to her and her mom for giving him a place to stay through high school. She supposed they were friends technically, though they never said so officially. Half the school thought they were dating though, thanks to Josh and his cronies. So Moon didn't quite care what labels were used to describe her and Gladion's relationship. It had always been complicated. There was no easy way of simplifying it.

Despite herself, Moon found herself crawling forward to touch Gladion's hair. Even though it stuck out in weird ways, it was silky and soft to the touch. She found herself fingering it gently as Gladion's eyes focused on her face.

Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed by Gladion's right hand. Moon glanced in surprise at him, and found his green eyes staring intensely at her. As his eyes continued to draw Moon in, she found herself leaning down. Her face was inches away from Gladion's when she heard a knock at her door. Moon quickly moved back, and Gladion sat up.

"Moon?" Mom entered the room. She found the two teens sitting casually on Moon's bed, her daughter by the head and Gladion at the foot. "You should start getting ready."

"Okay, will do." Moon replied.

Moon's mom left the room and chuckled to herself. Based on their flushed faces, she must have interrupted something.

Back in the present, Moon finished applying her make up. She still couldn't get over that she almost kissed Gladion for real, as in actual desire to kiss, not just to tease him. She was partly glad her mom came into her bedroom when she did. She did not like Gladion in that way. She did not like Gladion in that way.

Meanwhile in his bedroom, Gladion sat on his bed. He was already dressed, as he was wearing his normal clothes since he refused to wear a suit or even a dress shirt to the dance. He did opt to at least wear a black leather jacket in place of his usual hoodie. He had never seen that expression in Moon's eyes before. There was almost a strange light in them. But when Moon's mom knocked, her eyes had showed confusion, as if being woken up from a dream, and she quickly backed away. He didn't know whether to interpret that as a good or bad sign.

Hearing a knock at his door, Gladion got up to answer it. He opened the door to see Moon dressed like the punk goth goddess herself. Feeling a blush spread on his cheeks, he looked to his right and sighed. "Lillie?"

Moon also sighed. "Yeah." She looked down as she adjusted the skirt a bit. "The students are seriously going to think I'm your girlfriend if she keeps dressing me like this."

"Would that be a bad thing?"

Moon's head snapped up. Gladion was still looking to his right, but his cheeks were red. At that moment, she didn't know how to respond. Was he actually suggesting they officially become boyfriend and girlfriend?

Gladion glanced at Moon when she remained silent, and found her frowning and looking troubled. Not wanting to cause any trouble, Gladion smirked. "You think I was serious? Let's get going."

Moon smiled. "Okay."

* * *

The school gymnasium was turned into a dance hall. On the stage was a disc jockey, and music blasted loud from the speakers spread out on the floor. The lights were dimmed and colored lights flashed, making different patterns on the floor. Due to the large number of students, there was little walking room. Students danced in groups and pairs.

As a dance mix version of "Out of the Woods" started blaring through the speakers, Moon and Gladion finally arrived. The buses were running on a slightly different schedule due to the events going on in Hau'oli City, which made them late. Not that Moon thought it mattered. As long as she got pictures of people dancing and the crowning of the homecoming king and queen, she would be fine.

The two made there way to an open space on the perimeter, and Moon got out her camera. She left her tripod at home since she figured she would be moving around too much to constantly set it up and take it down. She attached her lens and flash, and handed Gladion her bag to hold and keep and eye on. Moon took in the crowd and sighed. She turned to Gladion and raised an eyebrow. "Ready?"

Gladion smirked. "Sure."

Moon and Gladion made their way around the dance floor, stopping often so Moon could take pictures. Some students didn't know what to think of the pair, but Moon wore a tag that indicated she was with yearbook, and showed it to the students. No one could resist having a chance to appear in yearbook, so it was easy to get students to pose for pictures. After wandering around the gymnasium for an hour, Moon and Gladion went to the refreshments to get a drink and take a break.

"God, is this really dancing?" Moon commented, after downing a glass of soda. "It seems more like grinding than anything else."

Gladion grimaced. "Sometimes, Team Skull will have parties and their dancing is even worse. I went to one and was scarred for life."

Moon shuddered. She then felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Moon! Finally caught up with you!" Hau grinned widely. He was dressed in a pair of dark grey dress pants and a royal blue dress shirt. Behind him was Lillie wearing a long red spaghetti strap dress. She looked stunning.

"Wow, you two look great!" Moon told them.

"So do you, Moon," Lillie smiled coyly and winked.

Moon shot her a quick dirty look before turning to Hau. "Have you seen Sun and Vonnie?"

"They're somewhere." Hau nodded. "We all arrived together, but at one point they went to get refreshments and look for X, and we haven't seen them since. How's the photographing going?"

"Good, I think. I still need to hit half of the gymnasium. I haven't seen too many of our classmates yet."

"You two should dance the next time you take a break," Lillie suggested.

"I don't dance," Moon told her flatly.

Lillie smiled knowingly at her brother. "Oh, I'm sure Gladion can teach you."

Gladion shot his sister a look. "Don't go there, Lillie."

Hau looked back and forth between the two siblings. "What are you guys talking about?"

Before Lillie could reply, Gladion took Moon's hand and led her away. Moon looked curiously at Gladion's back as they headed to a part of the gymnasium they hadn't hit yet. As they made their way through the crowd, they encountered an unwanted group.

"Gladion!" A student spoke up. Based on how he was dressed, Moon knew he had to be part of Team Skull. "We haven't seen you in a while. Why haven't you been to the clubhouse?"

Gladion shot him a glare. "I actually am trying to do well in school plus I have a part time job, unlike you, Trey."

"Ooh, tough guy. Trying to act brave in front of your main squeeze?" Trey eyed Moon. "Not that I blame you."

"Keep away from her." Gladion growled.

Trey just smirked. "Did you ever tell your little girlfriend how scared you were when you first joined Team Skull. Acted like a total pampered brat."

"Shut up, Trey." Gladion shot daggers at him.

Trey walked closer to Moon. "Your little boyfriend here was a scared little puppy when he first came to Team Skull. Practically begged the boss to take him in. Based on his clothes though, he clearly came from a well-to-do family. Rumor has it he is just having a bit of a rebellious phase, and will go back to the comforts of mommy and daddy once he's tired of being down and out." He reached for Moon's hair and twirled some in his fingers. "If you really need a true bad boy, I can certainly satisfy you."

In the next moment, Trey found his arm twisted behind his back. Moon glared at him as she held his arm hostage in the painful position. "One, don't touch me. Two, who cares about his past? He's trying his best right now in the present, and that's what matters the most."  
Moon leaned in. "Got it?" She asked in a voice that could induce chills.

Trey nodded wordlessly, and Moon let go of his arm. She turned to Gladion. "Let's keep moving."

After settling into another area of the gymnasium, Gladion glanced at Moon. He did believe she didn't like being dictated by one's past, based on how he had gotten to know her. Still, if she knew what had happened, would she truly look at him the same way?

Sensing Gladion looking at her, Moon said, "Dad taught me some basic self-defense." She looked embarrassed. "Never actually used it before on someone, so I hoped it wouldn't backfire."

"Ah," Gladion said simply.

They moved from group to group as Moon took more pictures. They wandered where most of the freshmen were, and Moon spent time also chatting with those she knew. At one point, they found Sun and Vonnie, as well as Hau and Lillie. Sun had his tie off and his top buttons undone, and Vonnie was barefoot. The two were clearly having tons of fun. Moon watched the two dance together and shot a few photos. Lillie and Hau were also dancing, but more casually and less professionally. Moon almost found it comical, mainly thanks to Hau's dancing, and couldn't help but laugh. As the music switched into a slower song, Lillie led Hau over to where Moon and Gladion stood.

"Give me your camera and bag," Lillie said, holding out her hands.

"Huh?" Moon looked at her in confusion.

Lillie pouted. "You need to dance at least to one song. And you can't go wrong with a slow song."

"I can't dance, Lillie!" Moon whined.

Lillie turned to Gladion and raised an eyebrow at her brother. He sighed and gave her the camera bag he was holding. She turned back to Moon. "Camera."

Moon groaned. "Well, I guess you'll get a good laugh."

Gladion led Moon out into the dance floor. They two faced each other, and Gladion guided Moon's one hand to rest on his shoulder and he took her other hand in his hand. "We'll keep it simple. Just keep shifting your weight back and forth on each foot," he instructed.

As they danced, Moon couldn't help but ask. "What did Lillie mean earlier?"

Gladion looked a bit embarrassed. "Don't laugh."

Moon raised her eyebrow, telling Gladion to go on.

"Mom made us take ballroom dance classes as kids."

As Moon pictured Gladion in a proper tux doing a fancy waltz, she couldn't help but let a snort out. "That's just golden. This is quite the juicy bit of info I can hang over you."

Gladion rolled his eyes and dipped Moon back. When she was eye to eye again, he smirked at her. "Are you sure?" He brought her in closer to him.

Moon blushed a bit before pouting. "You don't have anything on me."

Gladion brought his lips close to her ear. "Really?" He whispered.

On the side, Hau, Lillie, X and Vonnie were watching the two dance. Lillie was recording it on her cell phone. Vonnie turned to Lillie. "Explain to me again why those two aren't officially dating?"

Lillie sighed, pausing the recording. "My brother is stubborn about actually admitting his feelings out loud, and Moon doesn't realize her feelings for my brother are actually love."

"Didn't you say they have kissed before though?"

"Wait, when did those two kiss?" Sun interrupted.

"Back when we were in seventh grade?" Lillie mused.

"What?" Sun looked shocked. "So this has been a thing since back then? No wonder Moon dumped me."

"You dated Moon?" Vonnie asked, looking upset.

"It was only one date." Sun assured her. He leaned in and gave Vonnie a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm over it now."

Lillie looked thoughtful. "I've been focused on getting Gladion to move, but nothing has changed. Maybe I need to rethink my strategy and focus on getting Moon to realize her feelings."

"Don't get me involved. I'm staying neutral here," Hau quickly interjected. He made a face. "Personally, I'm still not fond of the idea of those two dating."

Sun also made a face. "I'm not into the whole matchmaking thing either."

Lillie waved her hand in dismissal. "I wasn't asking for help. Just stating my thoughts out loud." She glanced at Moon's camera and smiled wickedly.

Moon found herself wrapping her arms behind Gladion's neck and hiding her face in his chest. Maybe it was due to their encounter in her bedroom earlier, but she was feeling incredibly embarrassed right now, even though they were this close before when hugging. Maybe it was due to the long length of the song, since they definitely never hugged for this long. She lifted her head to look up at Gladion, who stared back at her with intensely with his green eyes.

_The pain of it all, the rise and the fall_  
I see it all in you  
Now everyday I find myself say  
"I want to get lost in you"  
I'm nothing without you 

Gladion lowered his face, and Moon didn't stop him. As his lips touched hers, Moon felt a jolt spread through her entire body. The kiss was not like their intense, who can make who flustered kisses. It was gentle and sweet, and Moon cupped her hands around Gladion's face as they continued to kiss as they danced.

_A way to get lost in you_

The song ended, and the moment between Moon and Gladion was swiftly broken when "Cotton Eyed Joe" started blasting through the speakers. The two broke away from each other, their blushing faces hidden in the dark gym. Moon's heart was racing. Before either could say anything, Hau came running up to Moon and linked his arm in hers. He attempted to get her to skip around to the music. Moon shot a "why me" look toward Gladion, as Lillie came rushing in to pull Hau away. They headed back to the side, and Moon got her camera back from Sun.

"Thanks for holding onto it," she told him.

"Sure." Sun looked like he wanted to say something else but instead changed his mind.

Moon sighed. "Do you know how much longer til the crowning?"

Sun pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

"I think they said around ten." Vonnie replied.

"It's nine-forty now. So not too much longer." Sun added.

"Thanks." Moon felt her heart slowing down but her cheeks still felt warm. The kiss she shared with Gladion was so different from all their previous kisses. Was that why she felt on edge, contentedly warm and confused all at the same time?

Gladion joined them after talking with Lillie about something. "We should probably get closer to the stage for the announcement."

Moon nodded. They wordlessly made their way closer. As they waited, they stood awkwardly next to each other, unsure of what to say. Moon was caught in a swirl of thoughts, or rather excuses, running through her head. Okay, maybe, the thought she liked Gladion passed through her mind before. But she had a thousand excuses, some good and some silly, why she couldn't like him or why she didn't want to go down that road. First off, she knew nothing about what happened between him and his parents to lead to his joining Team Skull. Second, they lived together, and she thought their relationship was perfectly fine as was. If they started dating and something went badly, it would be incredibly awkward to still have to see each other every day. Third, she couldn't deal with hurt. She didn't even remember the months after her father passed away. Her mom said she was an empty shell.

"Are we ready for the announcement of the homecoming king and queen?" The DJ yelled.

The students cheered and clapped and an excited buzz filled the air.

Moon got out her camera and tested a few shots of the stage, adjusting the focus and shutter speed. Shortly, the DJ announced the winners, seniors that Moon had no idea who they were. She took photos of them bring crowned and then some of them dancing together. Checking her camera roll, she was satisfied and turned to Gladion. "Let's get out of here."

The dance would still go on for another half hour, but Moon was exhausted. The two made their way out of the gymnasium, with Moon waving to Hau and crew before leaving. The two made their way down the street and to the bus stop. Not a word was spoken until they reached the bus stop.

"So..." Moon began. "Earlier, we were just caught up in the moment, right?"

Gladion glanced at her. Moon's cheeks were pink.

"I mean, the dancing and the closeness and the atmosphere and..." Moon's voice trailed off as she realized she was babbling.

"I..." Gladion began.

Moon moved so she was facing Gladion. She reached for his free hand and intertwined her fingers with his. His heart sped up at the warmth of her hand in his. She stood there silently, her head down. They stood there like that until a bus pulled up. Moon let go of Gladion's hand and turned to get on the bus. Gladion followed Moon on, and the two sat down on seats next to each other.

Moon looked out the window, watching the buildings pass by. "How do you feel about dating?" She asked, still looking out the window.

"Huh?" Gladion was thrown off guard.

"I mean, it's just a formality, right? Back in Kanto, girls or guys declared their love for someone, and you either got rejected or accepted on the spot. The guy and girl could have not even know each other prior to the declaration and then decide to start dating. I dunno, it seems silly to me."

Gladion had no idea where Moon was going.

Moon turned to Gladion. "Theoretically, if I were to tell you I liked you, what would your response be?"

Gladion blushed and quickly looked away. "I don't know. I guess I would be okay with it." He glanced back at Moon who was staring at him with concentration etched on her face. She then glanced back out the window.

"Okay, just curious."

This girl was going to be the death of him. Gladion sighed and leaned his head on Moon's shoulder before closing his eyes. He failed to see Moon's blush and smile as she glanced at him. She then looked back out the window thoughtfully as the bus made its way to the Hau'oli Outskirts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song lyrics (c) Three Days Grace


	15. Misunderstanding

The next day, Moon slowly opened her eyes, feeling drowsy despite having obviously slept all night. The sunlight streamed faintly through her semi-sheer curtains, but not as strong as if it was early morning. She sleepily reached for her phone to check the time and saw it was eleven already. She groaned, not wanting to get up, pulling the covers over her head. Well, mainly, she didn't want to face anyone else that lived in the same house.

Even though she and Gladion had gotten home by ten-thirty last night, her mom had stayed up to wait for them to get home, and then she peppered them with questions about the dance and wanting to see Moon's pictures. Moon handed her mom the camera, and she started to scroll through the pictures. Suddenly her mom let out a loud squeal, and both Gladion and she looked at her mom in surprise.

Moon moved closer to her mom to see what picture made her mom react like that. Upon seeing it, all the color drained from her face and her mouth dropped open in horror. She tried to grab the camera back from her mom, but failed, as her mom was still a few inches taller than her. Gladion watched the scene, wondering what the picture exactly was of to cause both Moon's mom and Moon herself to act a bit crazy. Mom held the camera high over her head and was smiling in amusement at her daughter and Gladion.

"Oh my god, my daughter has experienced her first kiss!" Mom exclaimed. Gladion's eyes opened wide at the realization of what the picture exactly was while Moon face palmed.

Gladion felt a bit nervous. _Well, the cat's out of the bag now, so to speak. There is no way Moon's mom is not going to see that as anything but proof that the two of us "like" each other._ He thought back to his own mother and sweat dropped. _If Moon's mom is anything like her, I am in for a wringing._ He then felt the color drain from his cheeks. _Oh, shit. What is she ends up kicking me out now? No sane mother would let the guy her daughter is dating live in the same house. I mean, I guess I can see if that Chinese restaurant still has that room available. I could go and live with Team Skull, but that would mean switching schools. I really rather not switch schools. Dammit. What was Lillie thinking? She never does think things through, does she? That's why I always have to look out for her._ Unconsciously, he crossed his arms and frowned.

Meanwhile, Moon was having her own panicked thoughts running through her head. _Okay, plan of attack. First of all, we are not dating. Heck, we haven't even stated that we like each other. So just go with that. Say it was a dare. No, wait, would she believe Gladion would agree to such a dare? Probably not. Say the picture was a joke! To see how she would react. Wait, but then she might think there are unstated intentions in wanting to see how she would react. Bad, bad, bad._ She and her mom had never really discussed dating rules and boys before, since Moon was too young before they left Kanto, and Moon hadn't really been on dates since moving to Alola. Well, there was that one date with Sun, but Moon had downplayed it as just hanging out together, and her mom had taken it for face value. In truth, Moon had no idea how her mom was going to react. She was never overly strict with Moon since Moon never gave her a reason to be strict. And Moon actually thought her mom had gotten more lax since moving to Alola. Maybe it was the tropical setting and the laid back attitude of the residents?

"So..." Moon's mom began, sitting back down on the couch. "Are you two together?"

"No!" Moon quickly replied. "It was...just...um...a moment. You know, kinda like seeing other people eat something, so you want to try it to?" She immediately regretted the words that came out of her mouth. _Okay, that was not what I should be saying._

Gladion felt a slight smile form on his lips at Moon's clearly panicked state. He didn't realize how frazzled she could become as, well, he never saw her in such a situation like this before. He would had laughed had not his own situation been equally stressful.

Mom glanced at the two of them, seeing them both looking stressed, nervous and flustered. _Hmm, I guess I should let this one go,_ she thought. Clasping her hands together on her lap, she looked thoughtful. "Well, it doesn't seem that you two are dating, or at least comfortable enough to admit it, so I guess you aren't, and I won't think it as such."

Moon looked toward her mom, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Gladion, sweetie, don't look like the world is ending." Mom chuckled a bit. "I'm not kicking you out for kissing my daughter."

Gladion's head snapped up to look at Moon's mom. She nodded and smiled. He let out a sigh of relief.

"However," Mom continued, turning back to Moon. "If you should ever so decide to start dating _someone_ , Moon, I would like to have an introduction to this young man and get to know him before you go on your first date? I realize you are in high school now and dating comes along naturally at this age, so I am not going to object to you dating _someone_ , but I am still going to set some rules, if you ever _do_ start dating, Moon. Your dates cannot run later than your current curfew. If there should be some need of sorts that he needs to _sleep here overnight_ , he cannot sleep in your bed with you. And while I would like you to stay a child forever, I can't stop you from growing up, but do be careful, sweetie?" Mom stood up and winked at Moon.

It took a moment for Moon to process what her mom meant, but when she realized what she was getting at, she was frozen in shock. She wanted to die right there. For pete's sake, what did her mom think she was? She wasn't thinking about...about... Her face turned beet red. It was bad enough to have this talk without being mentally prepared ahead of time. It was even worse that it was done in front of Gladion. Her mom was totally making assumptions that she and Gladion had feelings for each other, which was not true, and that if they did. Was her mom just purposely embarrassing her? Moon could not look at either her mother or Gladion in the eyes.

Meanwhile, Gladion was still in a state of relief that Moon's mom was not kicking him out. That was his biggest worry, more so than being caught having kissed Moon. And having been too He caught up in his own thoughts, he didn't hear anything Moon's mom had said to her, unbeknownst to Moon.

"Well, good night you two!" Moon's mom said casually before heading to her bedroom.

Rather than face Gladion, Moon quickly said, "I'm taking a shower, then going to bed. Good night!" before dashing off into her bedroom and then bathroom and slamming the door behind her. Shaken back to reality, Gladion blinked, feeling a confused as to what Moon was still in a panic over.

Moon still couldn't believe her mom said that. God, that would have never flown if her dad was still alive. She really didn't want to leave her room today. There was no way she could face him. Maybe Gladion was working today, and Moon could just avoid him all day. Then she could take an earlier bus so they weren't on the same bus to school and then she could finagle a way to not take the same bus home...trying to not think about it anymore, Moon rolled to her side as she scrolled to check text messages. She had one from Lillie wishing her good morning and asking if she was forgiven yet (she wasn't, nope!), and one from Vonnie of a selfie of her and Sun together. Moon smiled at the picture. She was happy for Sun.

As Moon became more awake, she also detected the smell of eggs and bacon frying. Her stomach growled at the savory scent, and Moon begrudgingly got out of bed. Opening her door, she walked down the short distance of the hallway to reach the kitchen, expecting to see her mom in front of the stove. Instead it was Gladion in front of the stove.

"Since when did you learn to cook?" Moon exclaimed, forgetting her embarrassment.

Gladion glanced back at Moon briefly, his cheeks slightly tinting before he focused back on the food, and rolled his eyes. "I learned how to cook breakfast foods at a pretty young age, thank you. Prepping larger dinners is a different story." _Hmm, she seems to have cooled down since last night. Maybe she was that embarrassed over the picture of the two of us kissing? Not that we haven't kissed before._ He smirked to himself.

Moon leaned against the counter. "How long have you been up?"

"Maybe a half an hour? Your mom left a note saying she had to run unexpectedly to the lab for some reason."

"Oh." Well, this is a bit awkward. Then Moon remembered last night. _Wait, I wanted to avoid him! What am I doing here talking to him? Geez, when is Mom getting back home? I can't just awkwardly bolt out of the kitchen like I did last night. Like that wasn't obvious._ Moon cleared her throat. "Do you have work today?" Moon asked, trying to stay calm.

"Yeah, but only a four hour shift starting at one."

"I see." Moon shifted her weight from foot to foot. Was this a good time to escape to her bedroom?

"I did make enough food for both of us."

"That wasn't what I was thinking about!" Moon blushed immediately at the implication of her words. _That totally came out wrong. I should have just said yes and thank you. What if he's thinking I'm referring to what Mom said last night. God, I hope he isn't thinking I'm some sort of pervert. Okay, I really just need to shut up right now._

While Moon was lost in her thoughts, Gladion was watching her. She was biting her lower lip and looked stressed. Maybe he was wrong, and Moon did still feel uncomfortable over last night. After all, having your own mom see proof of you kissing someone was pretty embarrassing, not to mention it was another occupant under the same roof. Coughing, he turned his attention back to the food he was cooking. "I'm guessing you slept fine, considering how late it is. Pretty rare for you to sleep in later than me."

"Hey!" Moon lightly punched him in the arm.

"Don't worry about things." He poked her on the nose. "It's not like what happened at the dance meant anything."

Moon felt a sharp stab in her chest. So that kiss wasn't any different than all other other ones? It sure had felt different to Moon. She watched as Gladion split the food between two plates. Moon felt a bit of annoyance and possibly...anger? So that kiss meant nothing yesterday, and Gladion was just playing around with her as usual? It never bugged her before, but for some reason, it was really bugging her now.

"Have you ever liked anyone?" Moon said it more in anger than as a rhetorical question.

Gladion nearly dropped the plate he was carrying to the table. Once the plates were safely on top of the table, he glanced at Moon. "Why are you asking?"

"I was just wondering," Moon replied tartly.

Gladion didn't understand the sudden change in Moon's mood. "No," he muttered.

"So that's a yes, coming from you," Moon stated. She knew him well enough by this point to know when he was lying.

Gladion rolled his eyes in an attempt to hide his blush.

Moon didn't like that. Who was the girl? And when did this happen? Someone he knew before they had met? Someone he kept on the side that Moon didn't even know about? So maybe he actually knew how to kiss even before meeting her? Besides the "games," Gladion treated her like a little sister, now that Moon thought about it more. No way he liked her. So she was just a object of his teasing, then. She joined him at the table, and Gladion noticed a rather sour expression cross Moon's face.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing," Moon huffed. If he had someone he liked, he should know then that a kiss like yesterday had a different meaning. She had actually thought yesterday on the bus ride home that maybe, just maybe, she had become someone special to Gladion. Ha! Maybe he was just a playboy.

"So do you have someone you like? Which is why you're asking me?" Gladion asked as he took a bite of his food.

"I thought I did, but he's just an ass," Moon grumbled.

 _Wait, since when did Moon start liking someone? Is it another freshman?_ Gladion felt his eye twitch. "Who's the guy?"

 _You, you idiot! Not that I can say that out loud and make everything more awkward and embarrass myself even more._ As soon as Moon thought that, it hit her - she liked Gladion. Where in the world did this come from? She thought about it more. Somewhere along the line, she had developed feelings for her blonde houseguest. She had seen instances where he was actually really nice and caring, despite the rough outer shell he played up. Seeing how hard he was actually working, for himself and his sister, even if she still didn't understand joining Team Skull, had really touched her. And there were little things as well, like his willingness to help her out here and there in his own way, or the fact that he didn't question her odd habit of climbing up on roofs. Maybe Moon misinterpreted it, but Gladion seemed to understand the loss she felt from losing her father. She never asked him directly, but when she and her mom had a dinner to remember her dad, he was completely respectful. It wasn't pure sympathy either - there was something in his expression and voice that made Moon think Gladion had lost his dad too. Plus the fact that anytime Gladion brought up anything about his unknown family, he only mentioned his mother. And, okay, maybe he wasn't all that bad looking. He could still use a proper haircut, but when you looked past that, he actually had some pretty nice facial features. And he wasn't a bad kisser either. But the fact that she didn't actually mean anything more to him was just beyond painful, not to mention a punch in the gut. God, how could she be so stupid? Okay, she needed to suppress these feelings now before they escalated.

While Moon was silent, lost in her thoughts, Gladion grew increasingly annoyed. He glanced at Moon and saw her facial expression chance from annoyed to happy to angry. He had no idea what was going on in Moon's head. He frowned. So what was up with her little game then? He assumed it was her way of flirting possibly, without actually flirting. And she was totally kissing him back yesterday. It briefly has given him hope that maybe Moon liked him. A thought then occurred to him. Maybe she was just using him for practice all this time? That was pretty twisted if that was the case.

The two were eating in silence when Moon's mom came back home. Mom glanced at the two of them and felt tension. In fact, the atmosphere felt pretty dark. _Hmm, maybe I went a bit too far yesterday? I didn't want to push them apart._ Clearing her throat, she glanced at the wall clock. "Gladion, it's almost twelve-thirty. You probably should be heading out soon."

"Thanks." He said to Moon's mom. He got up and put his dish into the sink before grabbing his house key and heading out, without a word to Moon.

 _Well, that wasn't a good sign._ Mom glanced at Moon, who still had a sour look on her face. "Hey, Moon, how about you tag along with me for a little adventure?"

Moon barely looked at her mother.

"Okay, you are probably still mad at me over yesterday, and I know you really like Gladion..."

"I don't like that blonde idiot," Moon muttered.

 _Lovers' quarrel?_ Mom wondered. "Anyway, I need to run to an Aether outpost to pick up some medicine for some of the animals in the lab. So I'm taking the ferry to Heahea City. Would you like to tag along?"

Moon sighed. "I have nothing else to do."

"Okay, great! Let's head out." Mom hoped the trip would help clear Moon's head.

* * *

Mothers sometimes know what is best for their children. As the ferry threaded the warm ocean waters, Moon felt herself relaxing and forgetting about this morning. Something about watching the open water and seeing the unreachable horizon was incredibly calming. Plus, it had been a while since she had visited Heahea City. After they got off the ferry and began heading toward the Aether Foundation outpost, she couldn't help but glance at the window display of the one apparel shop that was located just past the Ferry Terminal. Maybe once she decided to forgive Lillie, the two of them could come visit together.

Moon and her mom walked down the street until they reached a rather plain multi-story building. Upon entering, they headed up the stairs to the top floor. Moon's mom led her to a surprisingly fancy looking door, and she entered with Moon following. Inside was a pure while office space. The walls, floor, counters, desks...most everything was white, minus some computers and other machinery. Everything practically gleamed. The workers were also dressed in pure white uniforms.

One approached Moon's mom. "May I help you?"

"My name is Dr. Mitsuki. I work for Dr. Kukui, and I called earlier about an emergency order?"

"Oh, yes, please come this way." The worker led Moon's mom away.

Moon patiently waited by the doorway, not wanting to overstep anything. With how clean the office space looked, she was afraid to practically breath, and possibly leave the tiniest speck of dust. As she waited, a man with short blonde hair and a goatee approached her. His blue eyes behind neon green shades eyed her from head to toe.

"I am guessing you are Dr. Mitsuki's daughter?" He asked her.

Moon nodded. "My name is Moon." Based on his fancy trench coat trimmed in gold, she guessed he was a higher up within Aether.

"My name is Faba. I am the Branch Chief at Aether and head of making sure these outposts are being maintained and up to standards." Eying Moon, he continued, "I am guessing you are in high school?"

Moon nodded. "I am a freshmen." The way this Faba was eying her was giving Moon the creeps.

"Hmm." Faba looked thoughtful. "Do you plan on entering research like your mother?"

Moon blinked. "I haven't really thought that much into the future yet, but probably not. My interest lies in photography."

Faba didn't look pleased. "Well, to each their own, I suppose." Frowning, he simply walked away.

 _Okay, nice meeting you, too._ Moon wanted to roll her eyes, but knew it wasn't appropriate. Besides, a place like this had to have a bunch of security cameras covering every possible angle. She needed to be on her best behavior for her mother's sake.

Thankfully, her mom was heading back to Moon with the employee from earlier. "Thank you so much. Dr. Kukui and I appreciate this."

The employee smiled warmly. "You are welcome. Please feel free to contact us if you have any needs in the future."

"I will." Mom nodded. She turned to Moon. "Well, shall we head back to Hau'oli City?"

Moon nodded. After the two were back on the street, heading to the Ferry Terminal, Moon spoke up. "I met some bigwig named Faba. He kind of creeped me out."

"Well, the higher ups in companies as large as Aether do tend to be a certain type." Moon's mom laughed. "They don't climb up such ladders without have certain characteristics and personalities."

"I guess." Moon made a face. "I have no interest in being involved in such a company then."

"Well, you keep to your photography. I think you have talent with that," Mom said encouragingly. "You have a lot of your father in you."

"Thanks, Mom," Moon smiled.

While on the ferry back to Hau'oli City, Moon received a text from Hau.

_I'm boooooored! Sun has some tournament and Lillie is busy with something at Dr. Kukui's lab. Want to hang out?_

Moon laughed to herself and replied back.

_Sure. I'm on my way back to Hau'oli City right now. Meet me at the docks?_

Immediately, Moon got a reply.

_Yes! See you soon!_

As soon as Moon exited the Ferry Terminal in Hau'oli City, she was immediately greeted by Hau.

"Took you long enough!" He chided. He then noticed Moon's mom. "Oh, hi, Dr. Mitsuki."

Moon's mom smiled at the energetic teenager. "Good afternoon, Hau. How are you?"

"Bored. So I asked Moon if she would hang out with me."

"Have fun." Moon's mom knew Hau was a positive influence on Moon. It would be good for Moon to actually spend some time with the cheerful boy, after whatever happened this morning. "I'll see you later, Moon."

"Bye, Mom."

Hau waved good-bye. Once Moon's mom was out of sight, he turned to Moon. He noticed Moon wasn't as cheerful as usual. "Hey, is everything alright?"

Moon sighed. "I had a bit of an argument with Gladion this morning."

"Huh? I thought you two were all lovey-dovey, considering what happened last night."

"We are not lovey-dovey!" Moon snapped. She let out a deep breath. "C'mon, let's go to the mall."

As they walked to the mall, Hau contemplated texting Lillie. According to her, Gladion was totally in love with Moon, and she thought Moon liked Gladion back. He wasn't sure on Moon's feelings exactly, but he could see Gladion liking Moon. At first, he didn't believe it, but after seeing the difference in how Gladion treated Moon compared to, well, pretty much everyone else (except his sister), Hau now had his suspicions as well. But this didn't look like love to Hau. Not that he was an expert at these sorts of matters. And he didn't want to get caught up in all this. He decided he would text Lillie later.

The two wandered around the mall, stopping inside various shops. At one point, they hit the Swarovski store. 

"Hey, isn't this the place you got that necklace from?" Hau exclaimed, before realizing his mistake. He glanced at Moon, who had inadvertently reached for the area her necklace usually was.

"I forgot to wear it today," Moon stated. This was the first time since receiving the necklace it has happened. Maybe it was her way of separating herself from Gladion? Moon glanced at the displays of sparkling crystal statues and jewelry. "Let's go inside for a moment."

The two entered the store. A sales associate approached them. "May I help you with anything?"

"No, we are just browsing," Hau replied cheerfully. "But thank you."

As they wandered around the displays, Moon suddenly stopped at one display. Inside were bracelets and necklaces, mainly silver with black accents. In particular, Hau noticed Moon was staring at a skull pendant necklace. He noticed she looked sad. She then blinked. "C'mon, let's move on."

The two decided to hit the food court and get soft pretzels to munch on. They found a table to sit down at. As they ate, Hau eyed Moon. He was concerned after seeing her looking sad. Even though he wasn't a love expert and probably couldn't give any advice on that, he was also a friend, and friends helped each other out.

"Hey, Moon. What happened between last night and today? You looked sad before, and I don't want my friends to be sad. What kind of argument did you and Gladion have?"

Moon sighed. "It was stupid. I got mad at him for liking someone, and then he got mad at me for some reason."

 _Wait, what?_ Hau thought. _I'm pretty sure Lillie said Gladion only has eyes for Moon. I'm so confused right now._ Clearing his throat, Hau asked, "Did Gladion actually state who this person was?"

"No," Moon muttered. "I don't want to know, though."

"Maybe he likes you?" Hau suggested. Knowing Gladion, Moon maybe misinterpreted something. He decided being blunt may be the best route to help clear stuff up quickly. 

"Pfft, yeah, right." Moon grumbled. "He doesn't act like it."

 _She totally misunderstood._ Hau chuckled. "Moon, you do watch anime, don't you?"

Moon blinked. "On occasion, but I'm not a crazy otaku or anything."

"Okay, well I enjoy it and like to have some understanding of the background behind it. Have you heard of the term 'tsundere' before?"

"Not really. Is it some type of anime genre?"

"Well, more like a character type. Anyway, I know you are Japanese, so you should know what it more or less means, right?"

"Well, I can speculate."

Hau took a deep breath. _Well, here goes nothing. I hope I'm doing the right thing here._ "Gladion is a tsundere. He is all rough on the outside, and tsundere types will never admit they like someone easily. I'm, well, Lillie, is pretty sure Gladion likes _you_ , Moon. But because he is all 'I'm a tough guy, Team Skull member', he'll never admit it. You are going to have to take initiative."

Moon eyed Hau warily. "Since when have you become an expert on love advice?"

Hau laughed, placing his one hand behind his head. "I'm hardly an expert. But Lillie one time said something about pushing you toward Gladion to get things moving."

Moon stared at Hau. "'Get things moving'? Lillie is trying to set me up with her brother?"

"I guess?" Hau shrugged.

Moon groaned. That explained a lot the past year and a half. And confirmed Moon's suspicions that Lillie was in fact playing matchmaker. "Hau, I'm pretty sure Lillie is wrong. And I'm not going to just go up to Gladion and be all 'I love you'. Like that isn't at all awkward, especially if he doesn't feel that way. Remember, we still live in the same house, too."

Hau frowned. "Moon! You are super confident when it comes to doing crazy things for your photographs. Apply that to your love life!"

Moon started to laugh. She knew Hau was trying to give her advice, but the idea that he was giving her tips in love was too funny for some reason. "Oh, geez, thanks Hau," Moon said as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I needed a good laugh."

Hau gave Moon a look. "I wasn't trying to be humorous."

Moon sighed. "I know." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "So, since you are a tsundere expert, how do I combat all this?"

Hau grinned. "You should be direct. And act cute."

Moon pursed her lips. "Hau, I think I have long passed the kawaii stage." She glanced at her clothes. It was true. Especially since moving to Alola, her style had become more Westernized.

"Just act cute. You usually act cute anyway. I know you can do that much, Moon."

"I'm not striking poses with peace signs."

"I'm not saying that!" Hau laughed. "Be yourself, of course."

Moon sighed. "I'm coming to you to blubber on your shoulder if I get dumped."


	16. Confession

Gladion avoided going home directly after work, as he was still in a bad mood from his conversation with Moon that morning. He ended up dropping by the Team Skull clubhouse, and listening to the emo music being blared from old speakers that he was sure were picked up from some pawn shop. He sat on the one recliner that was fraying on the one arm and sulked.

After a half an hour or so, Plumeria sauntered up to him. "It's been a while since you last dropped by. Something happen?"

Gladion shot the second in command a glare. "Nothing that concerns you."

"Oh, c'mon, Gladion. The state of all my Team Skull members are my concern." She leaned in. Something major had to have happened to get Gladion to visit. "Did something happen with your little girlfriend?"

Gladion's eye twitched. He forgot Plumeria has encountered them one time before together.

"Bingo." Plumeria smiled triumphantly. "She finally broke up with you? Got tired of you?"

"I don't care," Gladion muttered.

"Well, you are such a downer. I'm not surprised she moved on." Plumeria smirked. She patted him on the head before moving on to address a drunken fight that started between two other Team Skull members.

Gladion stayed there for a couple more hours, until his stomach grumbled loudly. Sighing, he got up, and headed home. Even if he didn't have a chance with Moon, her house was much better to live at than the rotting and dirty Team Skull quarters. After unlocking the door and entering, he found Moon sitting on the couch, looking at her phone.

"Where were you?" Moon asked, looking up. "I already made dinner. It's probably cold now."

"I was busy," Gladion muttered. After removing his shoes, he headed to the kitchen. He grabbed a plate from the cupboard and started to spoon food onto it, when he felt Moon wrap her arms around his waist from behind, giving him a small hug. He stiffened.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Moon said sincerely. She slowly removed her arms from around him. He turned around to look at her. She was slightly blushing. "I was sulking for no good reason, and I didn't explain myself better." She looked up at him.

Gladion felt himself blushing, despite himself. "Whatever," he muttered, turning back around to finishing putting food on his plate. He walked over to the kitchen table to eat. Moon joined him.

Moon sat silently, watching Gladion. Her heart was racing. Was this what it was like to confess to someone you liked them? God, it was stressful. Moon took a deep breath. "Gladion?" She began.

Gladion glanced up at Moon. Her face was red, and she looked nervous.

"I-"

Suddenly the front door flew open, and Lillie came bounding in. "Hau said you two had an argument. What..." Upon seeing the situation, her voice trailed off. "Um, oops."

Moon headdesked on the kitchen table. "Lillie..." She lifted her head and stood up. "Get out!" She quickly shoved Lillie out of the house. Moon closed the door behind her, making sure it was locked this time. She sighed, and then started to laugh. "Oh, the timing..."

Gladion looked at Moon curiously. He raised an eyebrow.

"That was straight out of an anime, wasn't it?" Moon said, partly to herself.

"What were you going to say before?" Gladion asked.

Moon held up her hand. "Forget it, I lost my nerve." She began walking toward her bedroom.

"Hey, wait a minute..." Gladion rushed up, and put his arm across the doorway, preventing Moon from entering her bedroom. "Talk to me."

"About what?" Moon asked, avoiding eye contact.

"About what you were going to say before."

"It's nothing. It's stupid. You would just laugh at me."

"Moon?" Gladion gave her a look, which she squirmed under.

Moon began to fidget. "Ugh...you're totally going to laugh at me. I'm never going to hear the end of it."

"What is it? What could be so stupid that I would laugh at you?" Gladion asked. "Did you step in dog shit today?"

Moon looked at Gladion. "No!"

"Okay, so you accidentally dropped your phone in the ocean?"

"No!"

"You got rejected by the guy you mentioned you like."

"No! I fell in love with _you_ , idiot!" Moon shouted. "Even though I feel like I still don't know a part of you and the last thing I wanted was to get involved with an edgelord, I don't want you to look at any other girl but me! I want us to go on real dates and be boyfriend and girlfriend and hug and kiss for real. But I'm a selfish person, so I'd want to be near you a lot. Of course, I imagine you aren't the type to do PDAs, which is fine. Ugh, I'm getting off topic. Anyway...That's what I was going to tell you before!" Moon huffed, looking away. "So feel free to start laughing."

Instead, Moon didn't hear a peep out of Gladion. After a minute, she turned her head to look at him. His face was red but his expression was frozen, as if in shock.

"Um..." Moon snapped her fingers in front of Gladion's face. "Earth to Gladion."

Slowly, Gladion's face unfroze.

Moon sighed. "Was it so stupid that you can't even laugh?"

Gladion studied Moon's expression. Even though she was throwing out sarcastic remarks, her face was still flushed and she was clearly embarrassed.

"You like me." Gladion finally spoke.

"Yes." Moon confirmed, turning redder. "Don't worry about hurting me if you want to laugh. I know you don't like me, so I will just bury these feelings. And I promise I won't act any differently toward you..."

Gladion covered Moon's mouth with his hand. She stopped taking and looked at him curiously.

He removed his hand from her mouth. "You don't have to act normal."

"Huh?"

"I mean..." Gladion looked away blushing deeper. "I don't mind if you like me."

Moon stared at the edgelord. Did he mean he liked her too?

"So you like me?" She asked. She watched as Gladion turned even more red and coveted his face with his one hand. Moon felt her heart beat joyously. She then smiled. She lifted her hand to reach for Gladion's arm, tugging at it gently so his hand no longer covered his face. She leaned in, so her face was closer to Gladion's. "You like me?" She repeated.

Gladion immediately looked to his right. "I didn't say that."

Moon's smiled widened. She stood up on the balls of her feet and gave Gladion a kiss on the cheek. "Really? So you don't like me?"

Suddenly, Moon found herself pinned against the hallway wall and Gladion's lips on hers. The kiss was urgent and intense. Moon kissed back, deeply, before sucking on Gladion's lower lip. She heard him groan, and he kissed her one more time before pulling away. Staring into her eyes, he repeated, "As I said, I didn't say I like you."

Moon smiled knowingly. "Okay."

"I'm taking a shower." Gladion muttered, his cheeks still flushed.

Moon continued to smile, as Gladion walked away. Her phone was buzzing away in her shorts pocket. She went to check it, to see a barrage of texts from Lillie.

_I heard you! You told Gladion you liked him!!!_

_What did he say???_

_Did you guys kiss?_

Moon sighed. Tapping her foot, she waited a minute before heading to the front door. She opened it up find Lillie standing on the porch.

"Lillie, what are you still doing here? Go home, it's late."

Lillie pouted. "Well, I couldn't help but eavesdrop a bit. I want to know what happened! Well, to some degree. I mean, he is my brother and all, so I definitely don't want to know everything."

Moon rolled her eyes. Remembering how Lillie had started the whole little "competition" between her and Gladion back in seventh grade, she decided she needed to get back at her a bit. Moon thought for a moment. She then put on a sad face. "He said he didn't like me."

"What?!" Lillie shouted.

Moon sighed. "Yep. I asked him if he liked me, and he said no."

"What?!"

"Yep, I even asked him twice if he liked me."

"I can't believe it!"

Moon thought of when her dad died, bringing forth the sad feelings. She let a tear roll down her cheek. "It was terrible," she choked out before lowering her head.

Seeing Moon's state, Lillie became angry. "I'm going to kill my brother."

"Why are you going to kill me, Lil?" Gladion appeared behind Moon.

Lillie pointed a finger at her brother. "I know you like her! Why did you tell her you didn't?"

Gladion glanced at Moon. He briefly caught sight of a small smirk form on her lips.

He coughed to prevent himself from laughing. Instead, he sighed, pretending to be annoyed. "You think I like Moon," he said, keeping up the charade. "But I clearly have now said verbally I don't."

Lillie's mouth dropped open. "That was so blunt and cold! You are never going to get a girlfriend at this rate!"

"Who said I wanted one?" Gladion asked.

"Don't tell me you're-"

"No, that's not it." Gladion interrupted her. "Lil, right now I'm busy trying to support you and me and make it through high school. Do you seriously think I have time for a relationship right now? That would require going out and dealing with the girlfriend's parents and fighting because she thinks I work too much..."

Lillie frowned. "I'll start working once I turn fifteen."

"Besides," Gladion continued, smirking. He put his arm around Moon's shoulder. "Why do I need an official 'girlfriend' when I have Moon right here?" He leaned in and gave Moon a kiss on the cheek. "It's late, Lil. Go home already," he said before closing the door on his sister.

"You lied to me! Both of you!" They could bear Lillie shout on the other side of the door. "I'm mad at you!"

Moon noticed Gladion was already showered. "That was quick. Anyway, I didn't think you were the type for PDAs."

Gladion rolled his eyes. "No, I'm not. But it was Lillie." He shrugged.

Moon glanced at her cell phone, which continued to blow up with texts from Lillie. "It's already nine-thirty. I don't think I'll be going out anywhere at this point."

"Where's your mom?" Gladion asked.

"Oh, that's right. You had already left for work. There was some emergency at the lab with the animals, so she's been stuck there taking care of things since Dr. Kukui is away giving a talk at a conference. She may be stuck there overnight, depending on how things go," Moon explained. "Actually, let me text her. She had dropped by earlier to grab some dinner, but I haven't heard from her since." Moon typed a quick message. She turned to Gladion. "Do you want to watch a TV show or something?"

"Sure. Do you have something in mind?"

Moon looked a bit embarrassed. "Kinda."

"What is it?" Gladion asked.

"Are you okay with a bit of violence?"

Gladion raised an eyebrow.

"I was told by a friend from Kanto that I need to watch Attack on Titan. She said it can be a bit gory at times but it was really good."

"What's the premise?"

"Kinda a dystopian world. World is overrun by titans that eat people. People are trying to battle back."

"Sure, I guess." Gladion shrugged.

The two walked over to the couch and sat down. Moon grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned on Netflix. Scrolling around, she soon found the show, and started it. Sitting back, she rested her head on Gladion's shoulder.

As the show progressed, Gladion commented, "Why would they have simply not made some sort of flying equipment? The fact that they have to clasp to something in the surrounding environment would seem pretty useless in a flat open space."

"I'm sure there's a reason." Moon sighed. "My friend told me to watch for this one character too. Not sure if he shows up in the first episode though. I guess all the fan girls go crazy over him."

"Why?"

Moon shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to watch and see."

Gladion moved his arm that Moon was leaning against and wrapped it around her waist, bringing her in closer to him. She glanced up in surprise. Gladion looked slightly embarrassed. "I don't mind this...when no one else is around."

"I see." Moon smiled. "But what about the other times?"

"Other times?"

"Yeah, like that time when you suddenly kissed me on the beach."

"We were off the the side. I doubt anyone was paying attention."

"Okay, what about the time when I had to be your fake girlfriend?"

"I had to get whatever her name was away from me. It was for survival."

"Then..." Moon shifted her body, so her face was closer to Gladion's. "Homecoming?"

Gladion rolled his eyes. "It was dark. You're missing your show."

Moon pouted a bit, but turned back to watch the TV. A few minutes later, her phone buzzed. She reached over to pick it up.

"What is it?" Gladion asked.

"Mom says she's probably stuck in the lab overnight so she can continue to monitor the animals. And Lillie made it there safely."

"Good."

The two continued to watch the episode. As it ended, Gladion snorted. "Of course. Now I bet Eren is all hell bent on revenge going forward, right?"

"Probably." Moon agreed. "Did you want to watch another episode?"

Gladion reached over for the remote and stopped it from progressing to the next episode.

"I guess that's a no," Moon muttered. She was about to reach for the TV remote to shut off the TV when suddenly she found her Gladion's lips on hers. Pushing him away, she gasped. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you never want to kiss?"

"No, I didn't say that! I just wasn't expecting it! I assumed when you said you didn't want to watch another episode, you meant you wanted to head to bed for the night."

Gladion blinked. "Well, since your mom wasn't coming home for the night, I figured..."

Moon turned red. "I suppose the fact that we do live in the same house will make things difficult." She leaned back against the couch. "Now that I think about it, didn't I promise Mom..." she murmured partly under her breath.

"Hmm, what?" Gladion looked confused.

"Nothing, nothing!" Moon waved her hands nervously. She then smiled and grabbed Gladion's shirt to bring his face closer to hers. "But is is getting late, and we do have school tomorrow." She gave him a quick peck on the lips and let go of his shirt.

Gladion leaned back against the couch chair and sighed. "I actually forgot it was Sunday. And that was cruel."

Moon's smiled widened. "Hey, at least we understand each other a bit better now. Another time." Standing up, she turned around to poke him on the tip of the nose.

Gladion rolled his eyes and also stood up. Heading toward the bedrooms, they stopped in front of Moon's. "Good night," Moon said. She reached up to wrap her arms around Gladion's neck to give him a hug before staring into his piercing green eyes.

Gladion started back into Moon's grey eyes. He never knew anyone with grey eyes until he met Moon. Those steel grey eyes belonged to the person he had grown to trust, the person he had by some rare change became associated with, a person he had developed feelings for. And she admitted she liked him.

He leaned down to give Moon a kiss, softly at first, before intensifying it, causing her lips to part. The smell of her shampoo and body spray filled his nose. Feeling his heart beat pick up and his nerves in disarray, he sucked on her bottom lip, enough to make sure he left his mark. Lifting his head back up, Moon's cheeks were flushed pink and her eyes were half-lidded.

"Good night, Moon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter than usual, but yay, progress.


	17. To Unova

"Hey, Moon?" Mom walked into the kitchen. It was early in November. "Nana invited us for Thanksgiving this year. I figured we haven't seen her since your father died, and it was high time we visited Unova. What do you say?"

Moon eyes opened wide. "Urk..." she muttered before clearing her throat. "Yes, let's!" It had been a number of years since she had visited Castelia City. While she also loved the more relaxed atmosphere of Hau'oli City, the tall skyscrapers, crowded streets, and hustle and bustle thrilled Moon. Though she never said so out loud, she dreamed of living in Castelia City eventually. Well, as long as... "Oh, but what about...?" She glanced at Gladion who was also sitting at the kitchen table. They were working on homework.

"Well, Gladion is welcome to come along, if he wishes."

Gladion looked surprised. "I can't. I mean, aren't flights during the holidays very expensive?"

"Oh, I'd be paying for your flight, sweetie."

 _Oh, no, no, no. He is not meeting Nana._ Moon pretended to look shocked. "Mom, not that I wouldn't want to leave Gladion behind, but it's expensive..."

Mom gave Moon a look that silenced her. She then smiled and looked at Gladion. "So what do you say?"

After seeing the look Moon's mom gave her, he almost felt like it he had choice in the matter. And despite himself, he was curious about Unova, the home of Moon's dad. Plus he never traveled out of Alola yet. "I will come too. Thank you."

"Great!" Moon's mom clapped her hands together. "We'll be leaving the Monday night before Thanksgiving and return that Sunday."

"I'll let work know." Gladion nodded.

Mom hummed as she left the room. Gladion glanced at Moon, reaching for her hand to give it a gentle squeeze. "This is really nice of your mom." He then frowned, letting go of her hand. "Come to think of it, you never really mentioned your grandmother before. What is she like?"

Moon frowned. "She's...interesting."

Gladion raised an eyebrow.

Moon sighed. "She's a very driven person. She's in research at Castelia City University, and has quite a productive lab. She and my dad used to have a lot of clashes. He was very smart - he actually got a perfect SAT score. But he had no interest in science or engineering or such. She felt like he was wasting his life by going into photography. She and my dad didn't speak for a while when he decided to suddenly move to Kanto. Of course, the fact that he ended up marrying a scientist thrilled her. So she loves Mom, and they get along great."

Gladion continued to listen.

"The last time I saw her was at Dad's funeral. Of course, she had to make a comment about how I should focus on science and math classes and be a researcher like Mom and her." Moon propped her chin up on her hands. "I'm too much my dad. I just don't want Thanksgiving to blow up into a fight." She then shook her head. "Sorry for being a downer. I mean, she is still family. So I do love her." Moon felt Gladion's hand on top of her head. She looked at him.

"I understand," he said. He pointed his pencil at Moon's homework. "Don't worry about it for now."

Moon looked at him curiously. He was back to focusing on his homework. She smiled. "Okay."

* * *

"Whaaaaat? You're going to Unova for Thanksgiving?" Hau exclaimed loudly.

Moon cringed a bit. "It's not like it's a cruise, Hau. I have family there."

"Still, I'm envious!" Hau grinned.

Moon was hanging out with her friends after school. It was the Friday before Thanksgiving. They decided to stop by a local shaved ice shop before heading home.

"I'm jealous." Lillie admitted. "I've never been anywhere outside of Alola." She paused as a thought occurred to her. "Wait, what about Gladion?"

Moon squirmed. "He's coming too," she said reluctantly.

Lillie's mouth dropped. "Now I'm really jealous."

"Is your grandmother still working or is she retired?" Vonnie asked. She and Sun were sitting next to each other, holding hands.

"Still working. She has a lab at Castelia City University."

"So research runs in your family." Hau remarked.

Lillie gently swatted his arm. "This is her dad's mother, not her mom's."

"Still..."

"Bring is back souvenirs!" Sun added.

"Of what?" Moon asked. "I doubt you want the corny magnets or t-shirts that say 'I ❤️ Unova'."

Sun shrugged. "I don't know. Something cool though."

Moon smiled. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. What are your plans for Thanksgiving?"

Hau laughed. "The usual. Dinner with parents and Gramps." He gently elbowed Lillie. "Lillie is also joining us."

"Oooh," Moon teased them. "Introducing the girl to the family, huh?"

Hau turned red. "It's not like that! I just don't want Lillie to be alone for Thanksgiving."

"How about you guys?" Moon turned to Sun and Vonnie.

"Papa and Maman had already planned a vacation to head back to Kalos," Vonnie explained. "We'll be gone for two weeks. Actually, we're flying out tomorrow."

"Nice." Moon nodded. She looked at Sun.

"Just family getting together. Nothing special." He shrugged.

Moon grinned. "You're going to miss Vonnie, aren't you?"

Sun blushed a bit. "No, I'll be fine."

"Hmm..." Moon teased.

"Where's Gladion?" Hau asked.

Sun rolled his eyes. "Like he would hang out with us."

"Actually, he has work. He's been trying to work a few extra days in since he'll be gone for a bit," Moon explained. She looked at Vonnie. "Where's X?"

Vonnie sighed. "He's been feeling a bit under the weather the past couple of days. He's been trying to rest when he can so he doesn't get full on sick for the trip."

The group continued to chat until Vonnie said she needed to get home and finish packing. Sun left with her. Hau walked with Moon and Lillie to their bus stop. He waved them cheerfully good-bye. "We'll chat." He called as the bus pulled away.

Moon turned to Lillie on the bus. "So what's going on with you and Hau?"

Lillie's cheeks turned pink. "Nothing!" She then pouted. "Why are you and Gladion still acting like you two aren't an item? I know you two are together."

Moon shrugged. "There's no need to advertise it."

"Hmm..." Lillie glanced at Moon speculatively. "Knowing my brother, he's too embarrassed to be seen all boyfriendy with you. Are you okay with that?"

"It's not a big deal. We're not even in the same classes, so it's not like we encounter each other all that often at school. And we see each other at home."

"Ohhhh, I get it." Lillie grinned.

"Get what?" Moon asked.

"Nothing!" Lillie grinned wider.

Moon blushed under Lillie's grin. "C'mon. Remember, my mom is at home too."

"Oh, but I'm sure there are times when she isn't home."

"Lillie, stop it! This is your brother, remember?"

"But that makes it all more fun." Lillie smiled evilly.

Moon sighed and looked out the window. A few weeks had passed since she blurted out to Gladion that she liked him. They did act as usual at school. Given they were in different grades, it was true that they didn't pass by each other all that much. On occasion, Moon joined Gladion in the mezzanine, but it was simply to hang out.

Even at home, there wasn't much that changed. She and Gladion were pretty much the same, actually. Okay, they kissed on occasion when Moon's mom wasn't home. Not that they didn't have practice from before of avoiding her mom during their "competition." Gladion seemed a bit nicer now. However, she felt like there was still a wall he had up, like the world of Attack on Titan - he had multiple walls up, and Moon felt like she had broke through one but not all.

After arriving home, Moon decided to be studious and get her homework done tonight. She knew Gladion was working shifts both Saturday and Sunday. Not that they were long shifts, but still...

* * *

Moon found herself in Castelia City. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she needed to get somewhere. She hopped on the sub, and got off two three stops away. Going back to street level, the sun shone brightly, briefly making it hard to see. As she walked along the busy sidewalk, she spotted her grandmother speaking with someone. Curious, Moon walked closer. Standing with her grandmother was a tall, lean blonde woman. She held a certain air about her, and despite not being able to see her face, something about her seemed familiar.

Suddenly, the street began to rumble. Moon grasped for the nearby street sign to maintain her balance. Bursting from no where, a tentacled creature appeared on the street, scaring all those around her. Moon knew she had to move and run away, but her feet were frozen to the ground.

The monster edged closer. Moon yelled for help.

"Moon! Moon!"

Moon awoke with a start and gasped. She blinked. She was sitting at her kitchen table, her books spread in front of her. She looked up to see Gladion standing alongside her, looking concerned.

"Ugh, what time is it?" She mumbled.

"Ten-thirty. You were screaming in your sleep."

"Oh..." Moon remembered she was working on her homework, and had saved reading a few chapters of a novel for English last. However, the story was bone dry and hard to read. She sighed. "Sorry about that."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a nightmare with a monster in it. It was stupid." Moon explained.

"C'mere." Moon looked up to see Gladion holding out his arms, looking a bit embarrassed.

"You look totally out of place doing that," Moon couldn't help but remark.

Gladion rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll just go take my shower."

Moon smiled, and standing up, wrapped her arms around Gladion. The warmth of his chest and arms was calming. He gently rubbed her back. Moon sighed. "Now, I'm wide awake. At least I should take a shower too." She pulled back, and Gladion loosened his arms. "Actually, why don't you go first? This will give me time to calm myself."

"Are you sure?" Gladion asked, still concerned.

Moon nodded. Hearing the front door unlocking, the two stepped away from each other.

"Ugh, this circadian rhythm study is killing me. Thank god it ends tomorrow." Moon's mom sighed as she took off her shoes. "Do you kids mind if I take a quick shower?"

They shook their head.

"Thank you." She smiled gratefully and headed to the bathroom.

Turning to Gladion, Moon grinned mischievously, and pushed him against the wall.

"What are you doing?" Gladion asked, though by his amused tone, it was obvious he already knew.

Moon put her finger in front of his lips to quiet him. "I just want one kiss." She whispered, her tone teasing. "It's been a while." She looked up at him innocently.

Gladion blushed. "What's with the acting all shy now?" He smirked. "You never did before."

"Because I get more of a reaction out of you this way." Moon grinned knowingly. "I think you like it."

"Maybe." Before Gladion could react, Moon put her lips on his, kissing him urgently. He always loved kissing her, but it seemed better now knowing her feeling about him. He kissed back, trying to outmatch her fervor. After a moment, Moon pulled back, and moved her lips to his neck.

"Hey!" Gladion began to protest before succumbing to the pleasure that coursed through his body at the feeling Moon's kisses gave him. He closed his eyes, only focusing on the how good it felt. She transitioned to sucking on his neck, while also caressing the spot with her tongue, which felt even better. He knew in the back of his mind that he should stop her, but it also felt _really_ good. He had no idea actually how it felt until now. He suppressed a groan as Moon continued to suck and swirl the tip of her tongue on his neck.

Hearing the shower water shut off, Moon pulled back, her cheeks lightly flushed. She smiled. "I told you I'd get you back someday." She leaned up to give Gladion a quick peck on the lips.

Gladion took a deep breath to try to lower his racing heart. "What is your grandmother going to think?" He asked. He wondered how much of a mark was left.

"Oh, it will be cold enough in Unova. You'll be wearing a scarf and layers."

Gladion rolled his eyes.

Moon leaned in. "Besides," she added, her voice breathy. "I want no one to mistake what's mine," she whispered into his ear.

Hearing the bathroom door open, Gladion quickly stepped away and headed toward his bedroom. As he passed by Moon's mom, he said, "I'll be taking a shower next."

Moon's mom nodded. She noted to herself that Gladion's face was quite red, and couldn't help but wonder what happened while she was in the shower. She walked out to the living room and found Moon standing casually along the wall. "I'll need to head back to lab at six AM, so I'm heading to bed. Good night, sweetie."

"Night, Mom." Moon headed to the kitchen to get a drink of water.

* * *

At school on Monday, the student body had already dwindled. Moon said goodbye to Hau and Sun, and she immediately headed home. The flight to Castelia City would be at six, and while she already packed, there were some last minute things she wanted to make sure she had together. Upon reaching the bus stop, she found Gladion already there.

"You're slow," he remarked.

"I was saying my good-byes," Moon explained.

Gladion rolled his eyes.

Soon, the bus pulled up and Moon and Gladion got on. The bus was decently full, so the two stood. As Moon looked out the window, she felt an arm wrap around her waist. She looked down to see Gladion looking in another direction, his cheeks slightly pink. Moon smiled, and turned back to look out the window. In the rearview mirror, this didn't go unnoticed by the bus driver. He smiled to himself.

As the bus pulled up to the stop in the Hau'oli Outskirts, Moon and Gladion walked to the front of the bus to get off. The bus driver nodded at them.

"So you two finally got together?" He grinned.

"What?" Moon asked, her eyes widening. Gladion also looked flabbergasted.

The bus driver chuckled. "Oh, to be young again. You two have a good Thanksgiving."

Moon found herself staring after the bus, even after it was out of sight. "Were we that obvious?" She turned to Gladion.

Gladion blinked. "I didn't think so."

"......Huh." Moon took one last look at the road the bus traveled down. She then turned to Gladion. "Oh, this is for you." She reached into her bag and pulled out a wool plaid scarf in black and grey. She wrapped it around his neck and grinned. "Cute!"

Gladion blushed. "You're ridiculous," he muttered. He turned and began walking toward the house.

"But you love it!" Moon called after him. She noticed his ears turned red and her smiled widened. "Wait for me!" She jogged to catch up with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be much longer since these past two were on the short side. I plan on having multiple new developments in the coming chapters.


	18. Castelia City

Gladion felt someone gently shake him. He slowly opened his eyes. The pressure in his ears due to the elevation caused him minor discomfort as he woke up. Light streamed from the airplane window near him. He grimaced, squinting his eyes.

"We're almost there." Moon pointed out the window. "You can see the skyscrapers of Castelia City."

Trying to wake himself up, Gladion shook his head as he leaned over to look out the window. It was still far away, but indeed tall buildings in a variety of stone and steel shades could be seen. Not a tree or greenery could be made out. It seemed like an endless array of buildings.

He glanced at Moon, who had an excited glean in her eyes. He hadn't seen that look in a while, actually. At least not since the first time they met, and Moon was standing on the edge of the roof.

Moon reached over, to nudge her mom. "Mom, we're almost there."

Mitsuki yawned. "Hmm, that's good," she said, still half-asleep.

"Please make sure your seat belts are fastened, your tray tables closed and your seats in the upright position. We will be landing in roughly fifteen minutes," the speakers announced.

Moon was practically bouncing her seat, like a little kid. "Castelia City!" she squealed. Her eyes were glued to the view outside the window.

Gladion glanced at Moon. He was surprised when she had changed into slightly more edgy clothes for their travel to Unova, given how she spoke about her grandmother. She wore a high-neck red lace dress with fishnet stockings, black Doc Martens and a long black belted coat on top. When he had commented on her choice of clothing, Moon shrugged. "It will be cold there and it's Castelia City."

Gladion wasn't quite sure what she meant by the second part of her comment. He put on longer pants, but kept his red sneakers and black hoodie, in addition to the scarf Moon had given him.

After the plane landed and they exited off it, Gladion stared at the hustle of the airport. It was quite crowded, with people arriving and those waiting to take off. Moon's mom led the two to a shuttle. "We'll be taking the subway to Nana's house," she explained to Gladion.

Gladion nodded and looked at the people around him. There were people of all ages, races and ethnicities. He heard a mix of languages spoken. There were families, individuals, and couples. Once the shuttle reached another area of the expansive airport, they got off and headed down an escalator, following the signs that pointed to the subway. Moon's mom went to the ticket dispenser to purchases passes.

A continued stream of people passed by. Moon watched Gladion as he took it all in. "So what do you think?" She asked.

"There's a lot of people." Gladion replied.

Moon laughed. "There's nearly eight times the number of people here in Unova compared to Alola. Castelia City itself has more people than all of Alola."

Gladion shook his head. "Pretty crazy."

Moon's mom walked back to the two. "Here, I bought each of us a week long pass. I figured you two would want to explore when we have some down time. If you lose it, you'll need to buy your own new pass."

Moon and Gladion nodded in understanding. "Thank you," they replied.

Moon's mom nodded toward the platform. "A train should arrive in five minutes. Let's head closer."

Gladion watched the people around him. Some who were in groups were chatting, but many others were glued to their cell phones. Nearby, a trio was playing Christmas songs on their instruments and singing. Occasionally, people would drop in some coins or dollar bills. He glanced at Moon, who was looking at some advertisements posted along the walls. Some were clearly meant for tourists, while others were advertising new musicals or fashion. He wondered what she was interested in.

A screech and horn could be heard as the train approached. Gladion winced a bit at the sound. It was definitely different from the bus pulling up at the stop. As the train pulled up, a wind blew by, causing Gladion's hair to flow awkwardly. As he lifted his hand to smooth it back in place, Moon giggled. He shot her a look.

"C'mon, kids. Keep an eye on your suitcase," Mom said as the train doors opened.

They stepped on and the crowd squeezed in. Moon's mom sat down, while Moon and Gladion stood. He was practically pushed flush up against Moon, and made a note to himself to never complain about what he considered "crowded" on the Hau'oli City buses. His nose detected a strong perfume coming from somewhere. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Moon noticed the face he made and grinned. She leaned up to say quietly, "Aren't you glad I wear a less pungent perfume?"

"Very much. Lillie knows good scents, thankfully."

Moon turned on the camera on her phone and lifted it. "A selfie for Lillie?"

Gladion rolled his eyes. "Sure."

Moon pressed the button on her screen. Checking it, she nodded to herself in approval and texted it to Lillie.

The train continued on, and people exited and entered. Gladion could feel the breeze of the cooler air and made a note to himself to find a coat today.

Around forty minutes later, the train reached the stop they needed to get off at. They headed toward the staircase and climbed up. Gladion soon found himself on the busy sidewalk of Castelia City. The air was chilly but not horribly cold. Above, the sky was a light grey, cloudy, but unlikely to rain or snow. Tall buildings surrounded them, most of them taller than the tallest buildings in Hau'oli City.

"Keep close," Mom told them. They began to head up the street. As they walked, Gladion took everything in, from the various storefronts to the passing people. They passed by homeless people holding signs asking for help. Gladion thought back to Team Skull. Even though many of them were "homeless" in that they left their families, they were hardly at the state he saw these homeless people in. Gladion shook his head, as he thought how Team Skull's members seemed more and more shallow.

After walking around a mile, Moon's mom nodded to a high rise. "Here we are."

Moon turned to Gladion. "We'll probably be sleeping in the living room since Nana only has a two bedroom place. She has a sleeper sofa. Places are expensive here."

"So we'll be sleeping together?" Gladion whispered in her ear, teasing her. Moon's cheeks tinted pink.

They headed inside the lobby and pressed the doorbell. "We're here." Moon's mom spoke into the intercom.

The door buzzed, allowing them to enter an inner lobby with elevators. Once the elevator arrived, they stepped in.

Gladion looked at the options. "I'm surprised this many floors isn't a fire hazard."

"Well, there isn't much land area left, so the only option is to build up," Moon's mom explained. Soon, they reached the twenty-fifth floor and stepped off the elevator.

Moon's mom led the way down the hall to the right. Soon, they were in front of a door with a "2504" on a nameplate to the left of the door. She knocked, and shortly after, footsteps could be heard approaching the door. The door opened, and a medium height grey haired woman with blue eyes answered.

"Mitsuki." Nana smiled warmly at Moon's mom. She leaned in to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How was your flight?"

"Uneventful, thankfully. No one was dragged off a plane," Mitsuki joked.

Nana'a eyes rested on Moon. She gazed at her granddaughter from head to toe and briefly pursed her lips before smiling. "Moon."

"Nana." Moon walked up to give her grandmother a kiss on the cheek.

"You've grown taller," Nana commented.

"Yes, it's been a few years since we last saw each other."

"Indeed." Nana then noticed Gladion. "And who is this?" She also gave the same head-to-toe onceover.

"This is the young man I mentioned that has been living with us," Mom spoke up.

"My name is Gladion. It is nice to meet you," Gladion said politely.

"Gladion...that's an interesting name."

"My mother always loved flowers. I was named after the gladiolus. The sword lily."

"Ah..." Moon suddenly said. Gladion glanced at her. Likely she made the connection to Lillie.

"I see." A flicker of understanding passed across her face before she turned around. "Well, come in already."

The three entered, bringing in their bags and suitcases. "Mitsuki, you know where the spare bedroom is. The three of you can store your stuff there during the day." She nodded to the couch. "The sofa is a sleeper. Queen size. Plenty of room so you two don't have to be anywhere near each other." She eyed the two teenagers.

"Don't worry, Nana. Gladion and I aren't like that."

"Hmmm..." Nana didn't look convinced.

"Well, Moon, I'm sure you want to explore, right? We will be doing dinner together later, but I think Gladion needs some warmer clothes."

Moon perked up. "Yes. We will be back in time." She reached for Gladion's hand and dragged him out with her.

As they walked towards the elevators, Gladion glanced at her. "I'm surprised you aren't bringing your camera."

"Well, we don't have that much time. And we will be primarily shopping anyway. I have other days to take pictures." Moon shrugged. She looked thoughtful. "Nana doesn't seem to hate you."

"I suppose that's a good thing." The elevator arrived and the two stepped on.

"We'll just drop by Burlington. You don't need anything too fancy and it's cheap, especially since you are likely only going to wear the coat for this trip. So a coat, a pair of gloves, and some flannel PJ pants. Maybe a hat? Nana likes to keep the heat pretty low at night, so you usually have to dress warm enough. Unless you want to freeze."

"You could always warm me up." Gladion gave Moon a kiss on the top of her head.

Moon blushed. She frowned a bit, trying to hide a smile. "Don't be so...romantic. That's not you."

Gladion rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll just go back to being an asshole."

The two stepped outside the apartment complex and headed up the street. When they reached the subway entrance, they headed down the stairs.

"It will be easier to take the train to the shopping area. It's a couple of miles away, and we don't have that much time."

Gladion looked around the train. It was somewhat empty. Some college aged kids, some adults, one family. He noticed a teenage boy eying Moon, and Gladion shot him a death glare. After a few stops, Moon tugged on Gladion's sleeve. "C'mon."

As they walked down the platform towards the stairs, a homeless person called out to them. "Spare any change? For food."

Moon continued to walk by. Gladion briefly looked back at the homeless man before catching up to Moon.

"You pick and choose your battles," Moon said as she continued to walk. "I don't always ignore the homeless. But there are so many in the city." Her face softened. "It can be really hard to help everyone."

Gladion reached for her hand and squeezed it. Moon looked up at him and smiled.

Two blocks away from the train station was Burlington. Gladion was fascinated with the fog that came out of his mouth as he breathed out. He never got to experience this in Alola. He glanced at Moon who was looking around as they walked. Her eyes were bright and an unmet fascination was expressed on her face. Suddenly, Gladion felt separated from Moon. And a part of him had a feeling.

"Hey, have you thought about college yet?" He asked.

Moon looked at him in surprise. "Not really. I mean, I'm only a freshman, so I have time. But I'm going, if that's what you're asking."

"Have you thought where?"

Moon looked hesitant. "I'm not sure. As long as I keep my grades and records up, I could try coming to Castelia City University. My dad went there and my grandmother is a staff member, so I have a good chance of getting in, plus alumni benefits. But I heard Hau'oli City University is pretty good too."

"But where do you want to go?" Gladion pressed.

Moon looked back at him in surprise before being distracted by a store front window. "Ah, we're here." As she tugged on his hand, Gladion realized they had held hands the entire way over. So much for no PDAs. His cheeks tinted pink.

They entered the store and Moon looked at the overhead signs to locate the Men's clothing section. Making their way back to the left side of the store, Moon started shuffling through the racks. "Are you a small or medium? Never mind, we'll just go with medium since you may be layering." She reached for a black wool peacoat. "Try this on."

Gladion slipped on the jacket over his hoodie. It fit fine enough. He nodded at Moon.

"Cool." She walked down the next aisle to sleepwear. "Small for pants I guess? You're skinny."

"Yeah, that's fine."

They made their way down the aisle, and Moon located the sleepwear. She picked up a few pairs of plaid flannel. "Do you care what color?"

"Not really." Gladion reached out to touch the material. "Those are fine."

"Do you need some long sleeves shirts?"

"No, I found some back in Hau'oli City."

"Ok, good. Let's get out of here."

After checking out, Gladion threw on the coat and the gloves and hat Moon had grabbed close to the counter. He glanced at her. "You're an efficient shopper. Unlike my sister."

Moon made a face. "I am well aware of your sister's shopping habits. Why do you think I avoid mall trips with her?"

Gladion chuckled. "Now what?"

Moon checked her phone for the time. "We still have an hour and a half, give it take. It takes around thirty minutes to get back home. Do you want to get a snack maybe?" They hadn't eaten lunch and by now it was mid-afternoon.

"Sure."

Moon grinned. "I know a nice place to stop by."

She and Gladion headed up the block before taking a left and then a right, waking up a few more blocks. They soon reached a small cafe front called "La Bohème Cafe."

Inside, the cafe was small but cozy. A fireplace was along the one wall, and loveseats and recliners were placed around the fireplace. Small tables with stools were also scattered. On the walls were various pictures of musicians and different places from around the world. The furthest wall featured a glass display of baked goods, and signs were hung with listings of different hot and cold drinks and soups, salads and sandwiches.

"How did you find this place?" Gladion asked as they made their way back.

"This was my dad's favorite place to hang out." Moon smiled. "You should try the chicken noodle soup. It's a creamy broth, and really good."

When they approached the counter, a woman with blue streaks in her red hair blinked, staring at Moon. "Moon, is that you?"

Moon grinned and nodded.

The woman let out a shriek and came quickly around to the front of the counter to wrap Moon up in a big bear hug. "Oh my god, I almost didn't recognize you! You've grown up so much! And you're so gorgeous! Oh, your father would be such an oyako-don if he was around."

Moon grinned. "It's nice to see you too, Skyla." As Skyla let go of her, Moon laughed. "What's with the blue streaks?"

"Oh, I needed a change. You know, if Elesa can change her image, so can I." Skyla then noticed Gladion. "Oh?"

"Oh, this is Gladion, a -"

"Your boyfriend." Skyla interrupted. She laughed. "You can't fool me, dear. I always knew you'd go for the edgy emo type."

"Skyla..." Moon whined.

"Don't 'Skyla' me. It's in your blood." Turning to Gladion, she introduced herself. "I'm Skyla. Moon's dad and I went to high school and college together. We were good friends." She turned to Moon. "The usual soup?"

"Yes, for both of us." Moon went to pull her wallet out of her purse.

"Oh, no. It's on me, kiddo." Skyla grinned. "In honor of seeing you again after all these years."

"Thank you," Moon and Gladion replied. They pulled out bar chairs and sat by the counter.

Skyla called out their order to the cook and turned back to the two. "So how is life in Alola? How old are you now?"

"It's pretty good, I'd say. I'm fourteen now and a freshman in high school," Moon replied. "I've been keeping up with photography." She pulled out her phone to show Skyla some pictures.

"Damn, you are your father's daughter, alright. How I wish I could just have access to beautiful beaches every day." Skyla sighed. She turned to Gladion. "You definitely don't want to go swimming in the waters here. Unless you want to contract something."

"I'll pass." Gladion replied smirking.

The soup soon came out. As they ate, Moon and Skyla continued to catch up.

"How's you mom doing?" Skyla asked.

"Oh, the same. Busy with research as always."

"You're not causing any trouble for her, are you?" Skyla eyed Moon.

Moon pouted. "Of course not! I'm an angel."

Gladion rolled his eyes.

"Hmm, your boyfriend appears to disagree with that statement. Care to indulge me?" Skyla grinned wickedly.

"Oh, she's quite the flirt. Not to mention quite rough, if you know what I mean." Gladion said smoothly.

Moon whacked his arm with her hand. "Don't lie."

"But I'm not lying. I mean, I'm stuck wearing this scarf to hide this." Gladion pulled down his scarf, revealing a noticeably dark hickey.

"Oh, my," Skyla gasped. She turned to Moon. "Moon! Where did you learn such things? Certainly not from your mother!"

Moon turned red. "Where else? The internet." She shot Gladion a glare. "Why did you have to show that to Skyla? Is this some sort of revenge?"

Gladion calmly continued to eat his soup.

Moon sighed. She turned back to Skyla. "See what I have to put up with? We probably aren't going to last," she added sarcastically.

"Oh, you two act like an old married couple. You'll be fine." Skyla smiled.

Moon blinked. "You aren't the first to say that."

"Your mother said the same thing?"

"No, she doesn't know we're..." Moon paused. "I mean, our friends said something similar a year or so ago?"

Skyla burst out laughing. "That's hilarious. Even teenagers are noticing how you two act. Hahahaha!" She turned to Gladion. "You better take good care of her."

"Don't worry. I'll manage somehow." Gladion wiped his mouth with his napkin after finishing his soup.

Moon glanced at her phone. "We should probably be heading back." She turned to Skyla. "It was nice seeing you again."

"You, too, kiddo." Skyla gave her a hug. "And hey, if you happen to get into a tiff with your grandmother, you can always come here to rant."

"I'm going to try hard not to, but thanks."

"Nice to meet you, boyfriend."

"You too." Gladion smiled.

"Hey, he has a pretty nice smile when he isn't smirking or frowning!" Skyla exclaimed.

Moon grinned. "I know." She leaned up to give Gladion a kiss on the cheek. "That's why I chose him." She stuck out her tongue teasingly.

"Tch, if I recall correctly, I chose you," Gladion countered.

"Okay, you two. Go find a room." Skyla winked at the blushing teens. "Be safe getting back."

As the two exited the restaurant, Gladion looked thoughtful. "She seems pretty nice. She and your dad were good friends?"

Moon nodded. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure they dated at some point too, but I don't want to pry."

"I see." Gladion reached for Moon's hand, bringing her in close to give her a kiss. After lifting his head, he smirked. "Shall we head back?"

Moon blushed. "Yeah."

* * *

Upon returning to the condo complex, they pressed the intercom so they could be let in to the inner hallway. After waiting for the elevator to arrive, the two stepped in, and Moon pressed the button for the twenty-fifth floor. Upon the elevator doors closing, Gladion suddenly brought her into his arms, and crashed his lips on hers. She kissed him passionately back, intertwining her fingers in his head of soft golden hair. Moon felt Gladion slip his hands under her coat, massaging her back and sides as they continued to kiss. She suppressed a moan from escaping. Dammit, he was making her so needy. If she could, she would make out with him all day.

Upon hearing the elevator beep, indicating their arrival, Moon unwillingly dropped her hands from his head, and sucked on his bottom lip before pulling back. Their breathing was jagged as they simply stared at each other, faces flushed and unspoken words reflected in their eyes. Finally, Moon broke the silence first.

"What was that about?" She asked as they stepped off the elevator.

"Well, it's not like we can do this inside the condo with your mom and grandma around." Gladion smirked.

Moon blushed. "I know that!" She looked up at the ceiling briefly before turning her eyes back to Gladion. "God, if you keep this up, I'm going to become addicted to you."

"Well, I'm sure I'm healthier than drugs or alcohol."

Moon groaned. Upon approaching the condo door, Moon was about to knock when the door opened. "I thought I heard you two." Moon's mom smiled. "Come in already. You should have just come in. The door was unlocked."

"I was about to knock," Moon replied.

"I see you have a nice winter coat now." Mom stated.

"Yes. And some other things." Gladion showed her the bag in his hand.

"Good, good." Mom clapped her hands together. "Take off your coats and shoes and come join us in the dining room. Dinner is almost ready."

Gladion and Moon removed their footwear and hung their coats on the hooks near the front entrance. They walked into the modest sized dining room to find onion crusted chicken, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, gravy and salad on the table.

"Looks good, Mom, Nana," Moon commented as she sat down. Gladion sat down at a chair next to her.

"Shall we say grace?" Nana asked. She reached for Mitsuki and Moon's hands.

Moon shot Gladion a brief glance and rolled her eyes before reaching for his hand.

"Lord, thank you for this meal and for the family and friends gathered here today. We are grateful for your love and care. Amen." Nana prayed. "Okay, dig in."

Moon's mom passed Moon the platters of food, which she passed on to Gladion. After making her plate, Nana eyed it. "You should take more potatoes, Moon."

"I'm fine, Nana."

"Vegetables and meat aren't enough. You need to balance it with some starch too."

Gladion watched as Moon gritted her teeth.

"No, really, I'm fine."

"Moon has plenty of food on her plate. I think she's fine." Mitsuki interjected.

Nana pursed her lips. "You are just like your father. He never liked potatoes much either."

Now that Gladion thought about it, he couldn't remember a single time they had eaten potatoes in any form at home. He never thought much of it before, since his mother always said potatoes were the most useless vegetable on the planet, so they were rarely served with any sort of meal growing up. At Moon's house, bread, pasta and rice sure, but potatoes? Did those potato starch noodles count?

Gladion glanced at Moon, who was simply smiling. "Well, thank you. I'm happy to be just like my father."

 _Ooh, burn,_ Gladion couldn't help but think. However, he was glad Moon didn't get too down.

The rest of the meal went along mostly smoothly, though there was still a tension between Moon and her grandmother. After they finished, Gladion and Moon offered to clean up, and loaded the dishwasher with the dirty dishes and pots, and washed anything that didn't fit. Afterwards, they sat down in the living room. Mitsuki and Moon's grandmother continued to chat. After an hour or so, Nana stood up.

"Well, I have work tomorrow, so I'm going to bed. But I'll be off on Thanksgiving."

Moon looked surprised.

"Good night." Nana left the living room.

Moon turned to her mom. "Seriously?" She asked quietly.

Mitsuki shrugged. "You know how it is, Moon. Sometimes research doesn't care about holidays. So you're free to do whatever tomorrow." She sighed. "I need to get to bed too and try to adjust to the time difference. I'll bring out your stuff before hitting it for the night. Good night, kids."

After her mom also left the living room, Moon slumped against the couch. "God, she's such a workaholic. This is one reason she and dad had their moments."

Gladion awkwardly patted her on the head.

"What time is it anyway?" Moon glanced at her phone. "Nine only? Seriously? That's only three back in Alola." She groaned. "I shouldn't have slept so much on the plane."

"Here's your stuff. You two should take showers after being on the plane for so long." Mitsuki placed their bags by the couch. "Try to get some rest." She headed out of the living room.

Moon sighed. "Do you want to go first?"

"No, you can."

After the two took their showers, they worked on finagling the sleeper sofa so they had somewhere to sleep. After putting on the sheets, pillows and blanket, Moon looked at Gladion. "What do you want to do?"

"I'm not sleepy yet either. I guess see if there's something on TV?"

"Okay." The two climbed on the sofa and under the blanket, and propped up the pillows so they could watch the TV.

Moon began flipping channels. Weather. Some crime show. Some drama. An entertainment show. She turned to Gladion. "Anything interest you?"

"Hmm, maybe. He took the remote from Moon's hand and flipped to the weather.

Moon raised an eyebrow. "The weather? Really?"

"Well, it's not like I'm actually going to watch it."

"What do you-" Before Moon could get a full sentence out, she found herself pulled from behind into Gladion's arms, his lips nuzzled against her neck.

"What are you doing?" Moon whisper-yelled, panic in her voice.

"Oh, live a little." Gladion began to place light kisses on her neck.

"I thought you said earlier what happened in the elevator was because we weren't going to do that in here." Moon chastised him.

"I said we certainly couldn't do it with your mom and grandma around, but I don't see them around at this moment."

Moon felt Gladion's hands slip under her t-shirt. A part of her wanted this and a part of her panicked at the idea of her mother or grandmother walking out at any moment and catching them. After a fleeting two second debate, she reached for Gladion's hands, stopping them before they traveled up any further. "I don't want to get caught."

Gladion willingly dropped his hands, and Moon let go of them. Turning around, she smiled at him. "Thank you." She got off the couch to turn off the lamps.

"You've lost your edge."

"Huh?" Moon blinked as she climbed back under the blanket.

"You heard me. What happened to the Moon that pinned me up against the wall that one time?" Gladion smirked.

Moon smiled cordially back. "Well, that was a game back then. But how you misunderstand me, my dark edgelord." She reached for the remote and turned off the TV, leaving the room mostly dark. As Gladion blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust, suddenly he felt himself pushed down, his hands pinned on either side of him. In his left ear, he heard Moon whisper, "I just didn't want to get caught with the lights on." before her lips met his.


End file.
